Friday, December 18, 2009
Secret 6 Part 7
Think of your most challenging student, academically or behaviorally, and think of all of the good things about that student? How well do you know that student, his/her interests, motivations, etc.? Do you show them the same professional attitude and attention that you show the best and brightest? Explain your philosophy in this area.
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I think it is very difficult to say that you treat all the students the same. Motivations work on a case by case basis. With that being said, I probably know more of the interests, motivations, and general knowledge of the most challenging students because they take 90% of my time. It is fun to stop and think about all the positives of that challenging 10%. If you look for the worst in people, you are sure to find it!
ReplyDeleteIn my area, it isn't always the brightest who are the best. I have some excellent hands-on students who struggle with reading or math. It is a chance for them to excel and to be successful in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI can learn more about my students individually when we are in the sewing lab than with any other unit. For some reason, it helps them to open up and talk about themselves.
Those students who are a challenge behaviorally can be a drain. It isn't always easy to separate from the behavior and learn about the student's life, but usually beneficial to do so.
I think it is a great idea to think about the positives for your challenging students. That is something I do not always think about doing, but something that I will try, especially when I feel like a student is being "challenging." I think that it is so important to know about students and their lives. That is how you make connections, and if you make connections I believe students will work so much harder in your class. I have found taking a couple of minutes to ask them about their weekend, etc. and can put them in a much better frame of mind for learning, than if you didn't take the time to do that.
ReplyDeleteMy challenges are finding books for those students who claim they hate to read and there is nothing interesting in any book, or students who read way above their level and won't read any book which will give them success. Since I work with students individually on selecting their books, my challenge is to not become visually frustrated, but just keep pulling books for them to consider. I also try to make it clear to students if they don't like a book, to come see me and I will try to "coach" them through it.
ReplyDeleteIf we could walk a mile in their shoes. Personally I think this can be a challenging yet perhaps easy task. We know the students that have (we think)a great home life. On the other side of the spectrum we know the ones that need someone to care about them, a little bit more. They love to talk about themselves---listen, pay attention, show them you care and are hearing them. They are the ones that need the support from us on a constant level.
ReplyDeleteAs 6th grade teachers, it seems like we spend a lot of time dealing with difficult and challenging students because the routine of middle school is sometimes very difficult for them to get accustomed to. As a team, we are constantly trying to find a way for them to be successful. We have them stay after school with us and visit with them during our team time. This helps them know that we are behind them and are trying to find a strategy to help them succeed. We try to make them understand that we are trying to help them any way that we can. We don't want them to end up with a D or F in our classes. It helps to know the student's background and we are fortunate to be in a small enough school district that this is still possible. There are a lot of support systems available so that it is difficult for these students to fall through the cracks. It does seem that we spend a great deal of time on these students, but if you can get through to just one, it is well worth it.
ReplyDeleteSo many times I have told my own sons when they are ragging on another student, "Stop and put yourself in their shoes". Sometimes that is so hard because too many of these children that walk through our school's doors come with baggage they shouldn't ever have to have faced. I try to make these students "my kids", and give extra pats or hugs, and realize they are not all walking in my shoes but in the "shoes" life has dealt them and be considerate of that. I feel that I possibly go out of my way to find the "challenged" kids to hopefully give them a brighter day, at least at school.
ReplyDeleteI do not communicate with all my students the same. All students are different. They all communicate, act and learn differently. I find myself giving more support and guidance to my most challenging students. That seems like the most logical thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThe students that I have the most difficulty connecting with are not the most academically/behaviorally challenged. The ones that I do not get to know are the "wallflowers" who can go through the motions of my class without drawing attention to themselves. These are the students that I need to make a better effort to know.
ReplyDeleteI do a fair job at getting to know the interests of my students. Several students I have in mind that are challenging this year...I do know their interests. One of my problems is knowing their families or family "connections." (I know some of you out there are amazed by that comment!) I have a terrible time making those "community" connections.
ReplyDeleteI spend a lot of time on those students that are behavior or academically challenged. I think that's just what teachers do. There will always be students that for one reason or another have more needs. There are several students I can think of this year that have not had enough of my attention. My goal this semester will be making sure I have a conversation with some of those students that have fallen between the cracks.
Getting to "know" each and every student is something that I would like to say I have done, but, alas, it is an on-going process. Every time I talk to them, I learn something new. Listening to what they say and what they don't say is time consuming. Just a quick comment in the hallway as they change classes is sometimes all that I can manage. All students want to share and deserve to be listened to. I will continue to be there for them...
ReplyDeleteKnowing about a student outside of school can help you make a connection. It is especially important for the students who like to challenge us in different ways. I like to be able to ask a student about a certain situation to see how things are going so that they know I care not only about what is going on in the classroom but also in their lives. If a student is disruptive in the classroom I set up a meeting with the student so that we can try to work out a solution together, this also helps the student understand that I am willing to put in the effort to help the class run smoothly and I appreciate their input.
ReplyDeleteKnowing a student's interests or family helps make connections. Some students like for teachers to follow them from a distance. This means knowing something about them, but not necessarily being their best friend and asking them over for a meal. Just being able to talk to a student makes them feel like they are special. Some of our students deal with problems that we never would have thought about when we were that age. These problems have to effect their schooling. Understanding them better helps a teacher relate better to them.
ReplyDeleteWhile I won't even pretend to know all of my students and their "ins and outs," I try to make some type of connection with all of them. I'm likely to know more or interact more with some students because of their involvement in activities during or outside of school, but I try to find something that I can connect with for each student. It may be something I've seen them do outside of school, where they live, a relative, etc...but I try to find something to give them a connection to my classroom from their lives. It doesn't always work or help, but it doesn't hurt to lay that foundation. I know I could do better or more in terms of getting to know many of my students, but making some kind of connection with them hopefully lets them know that I care, or that I have an interest in them doing well.
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