I thoroughly enjoyed reading this research article. I was very impressed with how well Noll conducted and presented qualitative research. I have firsthand experience with conducting and writing a qualitative research paper, and it is no easy task. One of the first things I noticed about this paper was the fact that Noll observed Daniel and Zonnie over a 7 month period. This showed me that Noll spent enough time with her subjects to truly obtain accurate data.
As I read through the paper I highlighted points that I found interesting. However, a quote on page 225 stood out to me the most. Zonnie’s language arts teacher made this comment, “ I really don’t’ know her like I know other students who are more vocal. Zonnie is just kind of there.” As I read those words I felt as if someone punched me in the stomach. My mind pondered mainly on the last four words.. “Just Kind of There.” At first I thought, how could a teacher say that about their student. Then, I began to reflect on myself as a teacher and ask the following questions. Do I know my students like I should? Do I view any of my students as “Just Kind of There?” Do my students feel like I don’t know enough about their personal lives? Actually answering these questions were hard, but as a teacher and mentor I needed to go through the evaluating process. I know many of my students and their families very well. However one student I need to spend more time with and learn more about is my ESL student. She too is very quite like Zonnie, but that doesn’t mean that her voice should not be heard. My ESL student’s mother does not speak hardly any English so it has made it difficult to get to know her. Sadly, I think I have used this as an excuse to not dig deeper and find out what really interests my ESL student.
This article showed me that Zonnie and Daniel struggled with being “Just Kind of There” in both of their worlds. They both wanted to be heard and found an outlet to express themselves through music and writing. My heart broke when I read how disappointed Daniel became when his teacher did not read his Halloween story, a story he spent a lot of time on and was proud of. This made me wonder how many times I have overlooked one of my student’s interests simply due to the fact that I haven’t taken the time to truly know them. The hours in a school day seem so limited to get accomplished what I feel like I am required to do. However, through this paper and the previous articles the reoccurring theme that keeps sticking out in my head is the importance of getting to know my students’ interest both inside and outside of school. I have thought of a couple ways I could do a better job at this next year.
1.Have “Get to Know your Classmate” days. Each student would have a day where we would learn about them. We could listen to their favorite music, eat favorite food, read their favorite book, write a story about them etc…
2.Conduct home visits and meet my students’ families.
3.Conduct unit studies about the cultures that make up our classroom.
4.Support them outside the classroom (e.g. sporting event, band concert, church event, etc…)
If you have any other ideas please let me know. I don’t want my students to ever feel like they are “Just Kind of There.” I want them to know that their voice is heard and that they are an important part of my life and classroom.
Emily Rhoney
Comments (8)
I think the ideas you have come up with are fantastic. I have went to several sporting events that kids invite me to and their faces beam when they see me there. It makes them feel important. I don't know if you have ever had the opportunity, but I loop with fourth and fifth graders. This way I get to teach for same students for two years. I think this is a great way to know the needs and develop a person relationship with your students and their families. It also cuts down on discipline issues since you have developed a relationship with the student already.I think that building relationships is a key to help motivate students.
Amy Reep
Posted by Amy Reep | June 9, 2010 4:09 AM
Posted on June 9, 2010 04:09
I also feel like I don't know all of my students as well as I should. I have been to a few sporting events for my students, and love to see their faces light up when they see me. I think it is crucial that we find out what our students enjoy outside of school. This shows them that we actually care about them as a person, not just as another face in our classroom. I live and work in two separate communities and I really struggle with knowing who my kids are. I know nothing about their community, I don't bump into them out in public, nor can I easily stay afterschool or visit on the weekends for their extracurricular events. I think I would be a better teacher if I lived and worked in the same community, but for now I have to do a lot of talking and listening. I also find out a lot of information about my students through their journal entries and SSR conferences.
Posted by jennifer wagoner | June 9, 2010 2:35 PM
Posted on June 9, 2010 14:35
Dear Emily,
I had the same thoughts running through my mind as read this article. It really makes you think about whether you truly get to know all of your students or not. I always seem to get to know some students better than others, maybe because I find parts of myself and my personality in similar to them. But, I too feel like I need to make an effort to reach out to my shy, quiet students whose voices aren't always heard. I liked your ideas for next year, especially the first one. I would like to do some thing similar with my class.
Posted by Reshawna Greene | June 9, 2010 8:50 PM
Posted on June 9, 2010 20:50
Emily,
I think it shows your character as teacher to want to reflect on the students you feel you need to get to know more. I think we all have that thought that maybe there was/is a student who needs may have been overlooked because they didn't cause waves. I liked your idea of having a "get to know you day" for each student. This could also involve the parents and help the more reluctant parents to feel at more at ease in school.
Susan Hnes
Posted by Susan Hines | June 10, 2010 7:14 PM
Posted on June 10, 2010 19:14
Emily,
My heart broke too when I read Daniel was upset that he didn’t get to read his story. I too try to pay attention to my students. I try to have author’s chair on most days after we write. No matter how hard I try, there is always a student who shows disappointment. I teach second grade, so the students usually wear their emotions on their sleeves. We have to remember that we are only human and we are trying our best to meet the needs of our students. I think the longer we teach, the better we know our curriculum, so we can then focus more of our attention to get to know our students better. My goal is to get to know my students better next year, so I can hook them into learning. I went to a workshop where someone once said “you have to take care of the housekeeping” before you can begin teaching. If you do, your students will follow you. Students need to know you are not going to leave them behind.
Trish Edwards
Posted by Trish Edwards | June 10, 2010 10:41 PM
Posted on June 10, 2010 22:41
I remember reading the quote and wondering why the teacher was not creating opportunities to get to know her students. If the teacher read her writing, she would know her. She could use her writing as a way to get to know Zonnie. She could use a reader response journal. Zonnie and the teacher could communicate through the journal which removes stress from the student.
Posted by Zandra Hunt | June 11, 2010 12:20 AM
Posted on June 11, 2010 00:20
Emily,
I think getting to know our students is harder than it should be. With all the pressures, meetings, deadlines, planning,and paperword of teaching (oh yeah, and the teaching part too!), it is difficult to slow down long enough to pay the kind of attention it takes to get to know your kids. These ideas are probably not new to you, but there are some good interet inventories out there for different age-groups. Another thing I do with my kids is have them bring one item in from home that they "treasure". I first start by bringing in and sharing something significant in my life, like a locket with my children's picture in it, or a quilt my great-grandmother made for me.It gets them thinking past just their DS or i-pod! We have a day that we share our 'treasures' and spend a lot of time discussing similarities between them. Some of those similarities are usually relationships with others, and special memories. This can also be turned into a great writing opportunity. It really helps the students connect emotionally with each other and helps me get to know them better also. Good luck with your efforts to get to know your kids. I'm sure it will be time well spent!
Posted by Marcia Smith | June 11, 2010 4:28 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 16:28
Emily,
I love your ideas for getting to know the students better! I am definitely going to use some of your suggestions. As teachers, I agree that we really need to develop personal relationships with our students. When students feel valued, they are more engaged, motivated, and respectful. I can remember a student I had who was unmotivated, struggled with reading, silly, and disrespectful to me and other teachers. Even though it was tough, I spent some time trying to get to know him, and I found out that he wanted to stay after school to play basketball in the boys’ club, but because he did not have a ride he could not stay. I talked to him about his academics, manners, respect, and self-control, and we worked out a plan for me to drive him home after practice. This student didn’t become perfect or change over night, but he did make an effort to change some of his negative or poor behaviors. Because he felt recognized and valued after our conversations, he was more responsive in the classroom.
Laura Corbello
Posted by Laura Corbello | June 11, 2010 5:05 PM
Posted on June 11, 2010 17:05