When one goes into teaching there is this sense that you can change the world and move mountains. It is the Dr. Seuss mentality, that everything will be OK in the end. I wish this were true. The hard truth is that not every behaviorally challenging student will change. Oh, there are numerous success stories but it seems the ones that get away impact us the most. Why should they? They have made our classrooms a warzone! It is because all teachers value each student as a person of worth and potential. We perceive their failures are our failures. There is some truth in this. We second-guess wondering what if?? The loss of a student to another teacher or an alternative school saddens us. The thing that we have to realize is that each child is not cut out of the same mold. What works with one student might not work for another. We must realize that we are not the “Great and Powerful Oz” that has all the answers. We need to tell ourselves internally it is about THEM and not US.
Change, in a student, might happen for us or maybe it will happen for someone else, only God knows! In the mean time I will keep my hand on the wheel and eye on the road.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Why the Admiration?
That is a question I ask myself every year. In my own mind I see myself as this driving manic of educational perfectionism. Virtually all my previous students want to high five me and hug me every time they see me, why the admiration?
Being very observant, I noticed that this “effect” does not happen with other teachers, except a few? Why the admiration?
The answer to the question seems simple but is way more profound; the kids want a relationship with their teacher. They want to feel wanted and special when they are in your presence. I do this with my own bit of sarcastic, corny humor. Don’t get me wrong, my class is not the next “Laugh In” or “Comedy Central.” I follow 3 F’s in my room: (1) Be FIRM (2) Be FAIR (3) Be FUN. They have served me well these last 5 years. I realized a long time ago as a parent and now public school teacher that to enforce rules without a relationship just turns to REBELLION. The thing that inspires and encourages a student is that relationship.
So here is my answer to, “Why the Admiration?”
The students admire and respect me because I admired them first.
Being very observant, I noticed that this “effect” does not happen with other teachers, except a few? Why the admiration?
The answer to the question seems simple but is way more profound; the kids want a relationship with their teacher. They want to feel wanted and special when they are in your presence. I do this with my own bit of sarcastic, corny humor. Don’t get me wrong, my class is not the next “Laugh In” or “Comedy Central.” I follow 3 F’s in my room: (1) Be FIRM (2) Be FAIR (3) Be FUN. They have served me well these last 5 years. I realized a long time ago as a parent and now public school teacher that to enforce rules without a relationship just turns to REBELLION. The thing that inspires and encourages a student is that relationship.
So here is my answer to, “Why the Admiration?”
The students admire and respect me because I admired them first.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A Tale of Two Moms
The other day I was flipping through some channels on my HD-TV when I landed on one of those mom switching shows. Being a student of human beings and their strange behaviors I decided to watch the show. What I observed playing out was both heart warming and heart rending, it was truly a tale of two moms.
The first mom I saw I would refer to as the “Silent-warm-strong” type (SWS). She has 7 children from about that many nationalities. Which tells me her and her husband have a big heart for children and adoption. When she had to leave all her children, for two weeks, they were hugging and telling her how sad they would be while she was gone. A home of warmth and love radiated from this couple.
The second mom I saw I would refer to as the “Loud-embarrassing-controlling” type (LEC). This lady had 4 teenagers ranging from 18 to about 12. When it was time for her to leave on the experiment two of the four were outside to send her off. The other two were busy playing video games and text-messaging their friends. Faces tell many things about people and all her teen’s faces had a look of apathy pasted on them. They did not care that she was leaving; actually they admitted to the camera that they were glad she would be gone because they needed a break from all the yelling. How tragic and sad for children to feel this way about their mom.
The SWS mother came to her “new” husband and kids will smiles and warmth. What did they do? They just stared and did not say a word. They were not use to someone treating them with warmth and respect. To make a long story short, by the end of the two weeks all the children in that home had blossomed and were smiling. It was as if the winter had passed and the wonderful freshness of spring had appeared.
The LEC mother came to her “new” husband and kids with loud, stupid comments. The kids looked at each other and wondered who is this strange woman. As the two weeks wore on she made fun of them and embarrassed them numerous times. They were starting to look like turtles that pull into their shells because of danger.
Sitting back and watching the influence of each of these mothers spoke to me deeply. One mother (SWS) brought freshness and warmth while the other mother (LEC) brought staleness and coldness. I stepped back and asked myself which parent am I? Which parent are you? The neat thing is that each mom got to go home with their newfound lessons learned by walking a few miles in another’s shoes. The SWS mom was greeted with cards and hugs from her entire family. Only her husband greeted the LEC mom. Her kids were too “busy” to come out and see their mom, whom they have not seen in two weeks.
If you went out of town for a while who would be at your front door?
Would it be your entire family or nobody?
The choice is yours!
The first mom I saw I would refer to as the “Silent-warm-strong” type (SWS). She has 7 children from about that many nationalities. Which tells me her and her husband have a big heart for children and adoption. When she had to leave all her children, for two weeks, they were hugging and telling her how sad they would be while she was gone. A home of warmth and love radiated from this couple.
The second mom I saw I would refer to as the “Loud-embarrassing-controlling” type (LEC). This lady had 4 teenagers ranging from 18 to about 12. When it was time for her to leave on the experiment two of the four were outside to send her off. The other two were busy playing video games and text-messaging their friends. Faces tell many things about people and all her teen’s faces had a look of apathy pasted on them. They did not care that she was leaving; actually they admitted to the camera that they were glad she would be gone because they needed a break from all the yelling. How tragic and sad for children to feel this way about their mom.
The SWS mother came to her “new” husband and kids will smiles and warmth. What did they do? They just stared and did not say a word. They were not use to someone treating them with warmth and respect. To make a long story short, by the end of the two weeks all the children in that home had blossomed and were smiling. It was as if the winter had passed and the wonderful freshness of spring had appeared.
The LEC mother came to her “new” husband and kids with loud, stupid comments. The kids looked at each other and wondered who is this strange woman. As the two weeks wore on she made fun of them and embarrassed them numerous times. They were starting to look like turtles that pull into their shells because of danger.
Sitting back and watching the influence of each of these mothers spoke to me deeply. One mother (SWS) brought freshness and warmth while the other mother (LEC) brought staleness and coldness. I stepped back and asked myself which parent am I? Which parent are you? The neat thing is that each mom got to go home with their newfound lessons learned by walking a few miles in another’s shoes. The SWS mom was greeted with cards and hugs from her entire family. Only her husband greeted the LEC mom. Her kids were too “busy” to come out and see their mom, whom they have not seen in two weeks.
If you went out of town for a while who would be at your front door?
Would it be your entire family or nobody?
The choice is yours!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Why the heck do I teach?
Why do I teach? Is it to "touch the future?" Is it to feed my family? Simply............NO.
I teach because it is in my bones and marrow. To impart knowledge to a young mind is probably the closest thing to............a sunset over the Grand Canyon or a cool wind blowing in your face on the beach of Mexico .......... it is simply...................awesome !!!
If you don't love teaching then you will never last the daily grind of students pestering you with silly requests and questions. Oh, I have my impatient moments (all teachers do!), but the "insanity" is only for a moment.
Thank God summer is here !!
I teach because it is in my bones and marrow. To impart knowledge to a young mind is probably the closest thing to............a sunset over the Grand Canyon or a cool wind blowing in your face on the beach of Mexico .......... it is simply...................awesome !!!
If you don't love teaching then you will never last the daily grind of students pestering you with silly requests and questions. Oh, I have my impatient moments (all teachers do!), but the "insanity" is only for a moment.
Thank God summer is here !!
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