Kids I find it easy to like: The kids who are eager to please, and work hard. Also, the kids who rise their hands to give answers, or ask questions, and who pay attention in class.
Kids I find it hard to like: The kids who shout out answers, or pick on and bother other kids who are doing classwork, or make racist and homophobic remarks.
Kids I am sorry for: The kids who constantly need approval, the kids who don't socialize well, and the kids who obviously have a bad home situation, or a difficult parent.
Kids I feel threatened by: The kids who are sneaky and who appear to comply, but find their own ways to not comply, and to make trouble for other people. I suppose I also feel threatened by kids who are bigger than me and who have emotional problems, but I haven't had much experience with those students, and I've never really felt personally threatened by a student, just more that my authority has been threatened.
Kids I identify with: The quiet kids who get their work done, or the kids who really understand and enjoy the subject area, or even if they don't enjoy it, they understand it well enough to get the work done. I was one of the quiet students who usually really understood the subject matter, even if I didn't speak out in class much, because I didn't want to draw attention to how much I knew.
Kids I gravitate toward: I gravitate toward those same students, the quiet ones who seems to understand and make progress, though I also gravitate toward the students who are actively involved in class, and who like to tell their answers and ask questions, and talk in class discussions.
Kids I feel inadequate around: The kids who don't know what's going on, no matter how much I explain and how many ways I explain, the kids who missed a step along the way back in grade school, or have life issues interfering with their learning, or who just can't understand what they're reading, even after exercises and groupwork, and who need intervention that I can't provide. And the kids who don't receive a lot of support at home, or have dependency issues, or have to work after school and can't come in for help, I feel that I can't do enough for any of these kids.
Kids I probably don't even notice: I hope that I notice all my students, but I suppose it would be fairly easy for a kid who was a good student and kept their head down to go unnoticed by me except when I assess and grade their work, and since they seem to be doing well on their own, I may not devote as much attention to them as to the ones clamoring for attention and help.
This reflection made me really think about the behaviors that I don't like in kids, and what I might find threatening, and I had to think about how I would deal with those students in the classroom. I realized that I'm not really afraid of upfront behavior, but more threatened by passive-aggressive behavior, and deceit, rather than temper tantrums and violent behaviors. I also had to think about the students that I might not notice, and resolve to not let there be students I don't notice.
The hardest part of this reflection was thinking about the kids I feel inadequate around, because there are so many needs I want to meet, but I do realize that I'm only one person, and I can only do so much for students, especially when I have possibly have over 120 students in one semester. I suppose the key for me is to utilize my administrative and counseling supports when I have students with lots of life issues.
So important to be aware of those biases we might have as teachers and how to work towards being equitable to all, in spite of our human reactions to things that are difficult for us, like dishonest students or those who strive for attention. Teaching is a big job, so it is easy to feel inadequate some times. Important to see the job as planting seeds when you don't necessarily see growth in students that you want to see.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand identifying with students who are like yourself (or how you were in high school). I feel exactly the same. It is easy to approach those students and know how to catch their attention. How would you encourage a quieter student like yourself to participate more in class? How can you demonstrate for them that being knowledgable in class (though possibly uncool) is necessary for higher levels of learning? Did any of your teachers help you with this?
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me read your blog. It is always interesting, Betsy and helps me get to know and understand you better.
M
Aw, thanks, Margaret! I didn't really get over my dislike of speaking out in class until some of my AP classes my senior year of high school. I suppose I'm probably still not really over it, but I definitely blossomed a lot more in college, when I was around people who really liked discussing issues and events and art and literature that interested me, and in discussion-based classes.
ReplyDeleteBetsy,
ReplyDeleteI was particularly struck by your comment on the kids you feel threatened by. I like that you thought about the students that threaten your authority as a teacher. I never thought of that, but that is something that i think all teachers are threatened by, so i it was a good eye opener. i agree with Margaret too in that we will all identify with those students who show similarities to our high school selves. We definitely need to be aware of that and not let that grab too much of our attention and take from our attention to those students who may need it more. Thanks for sharing!
Ryan