RE_5539

As I began reading Chapter 4, I quickly connected Laurie to a young lady in my 4th grade classroom this year. The young lady, whom I will call Kay, initially won my heart with her warmth and laughter. As the year got underway I noticed immediately that Kay was the nurturer and “mother hen” of my classroom. Kay was very bossy and authoritative towards the other students. Surprisingly, my students accepted Kay as she was and were not bothered by her behavior. Academically, Kay was well below the 4th grade level but did put great effort into all of her work. After the first few weeks of school, I was notified that Kay’s mother was blind and that she suffered severely from diabetes. I was told that when Kay returned home from school everyday her job was to care for her mother. Kay was the cook, cleaner, and caretaker of the home. Just like Laurie, Kay “brought to her [4th] grade classroom a history of assuming a motherly role at home.” Kay was only doing what she knew to do best: take care of others. Our classroom was shocked and saddened in early October when we were told that Kay’s mother had died. As I stood talking to my classroom that morning, Kay walked in the classroom door. At first I was shocked and wondered, “Why is this child here at school when her mother just passed away?” Then, I realized, that Kay was there because school was the only “normal” place in her life. Kay considered our classroom as her family and she really did consider her classmates as her kids. Kay came to school everyday during this time except on the day of her mother’s funeral. When she cried my children cried with her. Kay left one week after the funeral to go and live with her real father in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately we have not been able to reach Kay since that time. I wanted to share this story because I want everyone to be reminded that we really do need to be aware of our students’ lives at home. As educators we should always make sure that we “know” our students as much as possible. I will never forget Kay because I probably learned as much from her as she did from me.

The section on “Anger” discussed Laurie’s diagnosis of ADD. Sometimes one wonders if teachers/doctors use this diagnosis as a “quick-fix” to solve more severe underlying problems. I was saddened when the author stated, “we noted that she seemed to lose her voice after being diagnosed and medicated for ADD.” What seemed odd to me was the fact that the examples given by the author involved her home life rather than her school life. To me, it seemed that her “ADD” was brought on by her stress and circumstances at home; not her school environment. Shouldn’t a child with ADD express behavior such as this in all circumstances (home & school)? I’m not a psychologist so I do not have the answer; but one does wonder if placing Laurie on medication was the best choice.

As I began to read about Laurie’s first grade learning difficulties I began to honestly wonder about her teacher and observer. If these people saw that Laurie was having difficulties, why didn’t they step in earlier in the year? It seems that no one bothered to intervene until they thought that she was going to fail. Another thing that bothered me about 1st grade was the lack of differentiation within the classroom. I fully believe that using an anthology a few days a week is fine; however, where were the leveled readers / small flexible groups? There was no way for Laurie to experience success. As an experienced teacher I am positive that Laurie was not the only child in that classroom experiencing difficulties.

When looking at Laurie’s 2nd grade year I became much more hopeful for her success. Although the author connects much of Laurie’s happiness with the hope of getting a dad, I have to say that I think the classroom environment had a lot to do with her happiness. Laurie’s 2nd grade teacher appeared to be the type of teacher who tried to find ways for her students to be successful. I also loved the fact that the Chapter one class also helped to bolster her confidence and make her a more active participant at school. As I read Laurie’s writing and read the author’s observations, I was once again reminded of how life situations (desire for a dad) affected Laurie as a student. The author states, “Changes in this important relationship may have contributed to the variability in Laurie’s responses to academic activities.” This just reconfirms the idea that we should each try to get to “know” our students and the many variables that play into their lives.

The following statement written by the author rings very true: “With classes that are too large to manage and increasingly stiff curriculum mandates, it has become difficult for teachers to come to know children with the kind of depth that engenders successful change.” I challenge not only myself, but each of you to find ways to get to “know” your students.