Communication with Colleague and with Student
2 things today...
My teacher and I had a chance to talk after school today since we had a faculty meeting, and I aksed her about working on Friday's with one of the students. She didn't care at all, but then asked if I was doing too much. She kept saying that she didn't it want it to seem like she had just thrown everything on me and that she didn't and still doesn't want to overwhelm me. I told her I had never thought that and that the overwhelming"ness" was not from class but from portfolio expectations/requirements. I just found it interesting that here I am wanting more and she is thinking I'm doing too much. It wasn't a negative conversation by any means but a very encouraging and good teacher-to-student teacher chat. She did remind me, which I was thankful for, that these children are slow learners and that it will take a long time for them to learn things; I needed that reminder because sometimes it is easy to get discouraged when I don't feel like anything is "sticking".
The 6th grader who came from another school, when asked where his assignment notebook and yellow folder were, said, "I don't know" or "at home", or something like that to my teacher. When we did behavior chart rounds, she asked if he had lied about that (because she found them in his locker and on his desk), he said he really didn't know. She said, "Either you lied to me or you didn't. Yes or no." He said yes, but honestly, I don't think he lied on purpose. I don't think he does like on purpose. I think he just speaks before thinking; he's just very impulsive in his actions, but because she assumed that he lied, she basically forced him to admit that he had lied. I could tell he was struggling to justify himself and reason with her, but she wouldn't have it, so he just admitted to it because he knew that's what she wanted to hear. I guess it just goes to show that there is a fine line between believing children all the time and allowing them to prove themselves to us. They have to earn respect, but we also have to be willing to give it to them. It's hard for me to talk to her about it since I don't agree with how they are handling him, but I just try to sympathize with the job that it is and try to just listen and "think through" it as an onlooker.
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Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a good conversation with your teacher. I think she is just trying to protect you (which is good) so don't feel bad if she doesn't let go of everything. You are doing a good job of reflecting on students that you don't even have a connection with so you are still learning through these situations.
You may want to think about how you could help a student who is impulsive learn coping skills when it comes to responding to authority. Unfortunately the impulsivity can get them in more trouble when they are completely innocent. As a teacher it becomes essential that they learn life skills that will help them in such situations. Good food for thought!