Wow...I am reminded of how lucky I am.Reading about these girls and the things that they had to go through...
I was struck by the quote by Annie Rogers on page 235 of the article : that she talks with all students individually or small groups so that she would be aware of their needs. How often do I take the time to do that?
I have one particular student at this point, that I do this with now. He is a foster child and has been taken from this mother several times. He is in his ninth school in three years. Studies show for every move, a child regresses four months. So you can imagine what he is like. He is one student that I try to spend as much individual time with as I can. He is a student that makes me wish my class size was waay smaller. He is also the reason I enjoy teaching so much.
Each year there are one or two that I get to know...yet I know that this is not enough. I have been to the hospital to visit a parent of one of my students, but I need to make the effort to reach all students. For my action research project, we are going to writing every day. I hope that this will open some doors for communication between my students and myself.
One thing I can say about this class and it's readings, is that is has made me question my teaching and is forcing me to reevalute myself constantly.
SuSu Watson
Comments (6)
I know what you mean. It's not that I am constantly reflecting on how BAD of a teacher I am--the point is not to make us feel bad about ourselves--but it's a good reality check to make sure we do what we should to reach all children.
I, too, struggle to really get to know each of my students. Many times it's because students don't want to open up to me. Sometimes we get bogged down in the extraneous "stuff" of our school. It's tough, but it really is worth it to break through that wall.
Posted by Christy Rivers | February 21, 2009 11:30 AM
Posted on February 21, 2009 11:30
Hi SuSu. First of all I think that one of the best signs of a dedicated teacher is reflection. If a teacher is reflecting and trying to make her classroom and her teaching better, then she is doing the best for her students. I try to tell my undergraduates that everyday! It’s easy for us to get down on ourselves but in the end we will always make mistakes, but its what we do after that mistake that shows our true character. So I bet you are a pretty amazing teacher because you are willing to push yourself to do more and be more for your students.
With that being said, I’d love to know more about your action research project on writing. It’s one of the things that scares my students the most. Are you planning to use literature as an introduction into writing? I use the book Notebook Know-How by Amiee Buckner and daily journals to get my students into writing and learning how to write. It has an amazing collection of activities to get students into writing and many of them encourage students to write about themselves and their personal experiences. Over time the students start to see the value in writing because they are writing to tell their stories to others. Literature plays a huge role because they have the chance to explore different authors and experiment with different author techniques. Writing can be so much fun if we learn, as teachers, to introduce and teach it to our children the right way. I hope your research goes well!
Posted by Amie Snow | February 22, 2009 12:53 PM
Posted on February 22, 2009 12:53
I have also come to realize that the more effort that I give to "know" my students, the more responsive they are to me and my teaching. I always try to learn about what interests them. I watch my athlete's games, attend band/chorus concerts, and have conversations daily with my students about their lives. When they think that you care about them, and are involved in their lives, they tend to give more effort in class.
Posted by Heather Coe | February 22, 2009 5:17 PM
Posted on February 22, 2009 17:17
SuSu:
Your example inspires me. You are living the adage, "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." The boy you are referring to is being filled up each day with your care! I believe he will become transformed from that. Teaching is so much more than relaying what is offered within the pages of a teaching manual. The articles we are reading provide the qualitative research to back that up. Teaching is modeling aspects of life, building bridges across great expanses of misunderstandings or confusions or pains. Teaching is a long list of action verbs that aren't always covered in our four year undergrad programs. SuSu, you are what inhabits the best of teaching. You care for the whole student, mentally, physically, and emotionally. May it return to you tenfold!
Posted by Stefoni Shaw | February 22, 2009 5:59 PM
Posted on February 22, 2009 17:59
Hey Su Su! Don't we all wish to have a little more time to spend with our students. I am fortunate to say that I do have a very small class. I have currently 13 students and still don't have enough time to find out everything. But you are trying, and that is great! I know what it is like to have a couple that you just really try to reach and the thing is, that most of the others will probably be ok. But that little one you are reaching out to really needs help. I am glad that you are taking the time.
Posted by Whitney Gilbert | February 23, 2009 8:52 PM
Posted on February 23, 2009 20:52
A great teacher is one who is always reflecting and applying acquired knowledge. You are certainly doing that! One thing that I had to remind myself of while reading this article, is that Henry is a researcher. She had the luxury of time that you and I don't have. If we are giving our best effort to hear the "voice" of as many students as we can while preparing them for academic success, we are doing great things for those students.
Posted by Cherrita Hayden-McMillan | February 23, 2009 10:19 PM
Posted on February 23, 2009 22:19