As I read this chapter I was reminded of something that my undergrad Children's Lit. methods professor said over and over again, "Educators are teachers of students NOT subjects or materials." This entire book has reinspired me to "read the lives" of all the students that I teach. In some ways I envy Hicks, in that she is given a different "lens" in which to look into the lives of the students she works with. I am also somewhat envious that she has more of an opportunity to develop a deep personal relationship with the students that she works with. I would like to say that I develop personal relationships with all of my students, but I know that some of the relationships that I form with my students are closer than others. I think that in order to develop the deep personal relationships with all of my students I need to start seeing all of my students as individuals, not as groups of individuals in my class. I have found myself doing that often in my teaching career, lumping students together by characteristics and treating them accordingly. Once a teacher begins to realize that language, race, gender, nationality, and homelife affects who a student is and what they can bring to the classroom only then can learning take place.
I agree with this chapter that we need to fall in love, not with teaching, but with our students. It is truly like a romantic relationship, and what do you do when you are interested in somebody? You find out as much as you can about them. You want to know what does and does not interest them. You want to know how to add to their happiness. You do things to get them to respond to you in a positive way. You encourage them to open up to you. I think this concept should be one taught in methods courses. You can be the best planner and have the greatest ideas, but in order to plan an awesome lesson one truly needs to be in love with their students so that every student can achieve the goals and objectives that you have set for them to learn.
For me this chapter summed up, if you will, everything that we have been reading about this semester. I am thankful for my Children's Lit. methods professor who laid the foundation of teaching students not subjects, as a prelude to me understanding and internalizing all of the research that we were exposed in this course.
Cherrita Hayden-McMillan