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Balance, Compassion, Confidence, and Humor. We've certainly had a lot to think about this week. Please respond to both parts of this week's discussion.
What story, example, or anecdote stands out in your mind from this week's reading? Share with us why.
Secondly, if you were to choose one of these qualities for our entire school to embrace, which one do you think would have the most impact? Be sure to share with us why you feel that way. Remember, there are no wrong answers, so be honest. :)
I loved how he gave Sara McDonnel the opportunity to be the class hero after finding out that the children in his class were picking on her. His plan was great. It required him to take time out of his planning and prep. time to work with her a couple of mornings, but I'm sure we all agree it was time well spent. A lot of times we as teachers can help a student who is struggling socially without taking time out of our planning. We simply need to show the students how much we love, respect and believe in a child...they tend to follow our lead.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, loved the chapter on Laughter :)
But...I'm sticking with Compassion for this one too.
Compassion is the thing I would like for our whole school to work on this next year. I am very concerned about the self esteem of the special ed. students who will now spend most, if not all of their time in the regular classroom. They know they struggle and it can be humiliating for them. The entire staff will need to work together to help these children feel comfortable, accepted and successful.
Cari, after I read your post I went back to read Sara's story again. I know you've taken your own time on numerous occasions to care for and love your students. It's one of the things I love about you!!!
DeleteI think the story that stands out most in my mind is that of Rubina. A quiet, withdrawn girl became the class valedictorian. This was a direct result of the teacher committing to changing the classroom environment to one of acceptance where everyone can be successful. It is important to teach planned lessons on compassion for sure, but the most powerful lessons are those we teach by example. I love that the teacher did just that and it's something I hope I do in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Cari. I too love, love, loved the chapter on humor. I think he did a great job bringing to light what humor is and isn't. I even laughed out loud at the salad dressing story. However, the quality from this week that I believe has the most potential to change our school is Compassion. With all the changes our special needs students and ALL of us will be encountering this year, I believe with my whole heart that we can become the school in which ALL students feel accepted and successful. I want to be that kind of environment for the sake of our teachers too! Teaching is far too challenging a profession for all of us to feel beat up all the time. Can you imagine how our school would be if every classroom, hallway, work area, playground, etc. exuded an air of compassion for others? I mean, what if the first words out of our mouths at any news (good or bad) were words of kindness and understanding? I have no doubt we could be a school that changes the attitude of our entire community by the way we treat others.
I, too, enjoyed the stories of Sara and Rubina. Another that stood out to me was the one about Stephanie wanting to play the villain in the musical. The part that got me was when she questioned him about how he says he treats them all equally, but by not letting her try out he was not succeeding in that. I think so often we are scared of letting students be embarrassed or fail at something, that we don't really give them a chance.
ReplyDeleteI had a hard time deciding between compassion and confidence to be the one quality for the school to work on this year. Like Cari, I worry about the special ed. kids being placed in the regular classroom for most of the day. They are going to have to feel accepted and capable in order to have any success. I love the part in the book where he talks to the class about how everyone has a strength and a weakness and that everyone must work together to help one another. Beech has always made these "special" students feel welcomed for the most part. However, with more time in the regular classroom, I just hope it can remain this way.
I loved the idea of putting the kids faces on worksheets. At the elementary level, waiting to see the picture would be so motivating. I especially liked the idea for math facts practice sheets. On a different note, reading about Rubina was very inspiring. Building on what Cari said, with the changes coming this next year we as teachers will need to be careful to not hold back the struggling students who will now be forced to spend more time in the regular classroom setting. Who knows, we may have several Saras or Rubinas who will absolutely soar if we have compassion on them and encourage them that they can be successful.
ReplyDeleteI, like Cari, would like to see our school focus on that compassion with our students and fellow teachers. However, I would probably pick balance for our school wide focus. Our school is viewed so well throughout the county that we are often guinea pigs for new programs and ideas. With all the changes already happening, I hope that our leadership and our individual teachers can really focus on maintaining balance. If we dive in with full force to all the changes and burn a candle at both ends to make it work, we will all be burned out by fall break. Equally, if we are asked to pilot additional new programs, it will be difficult to choose where to spend our time and resources. My hope is that we as a school find a healthy balance amongst all the changes.
So somehow Jill and Jessica's comments didn't show up for me until after I posted. It's funny though how we were all on the same page with the stories that stood out. Jessica, I too was captured by Stephanie's story. How mature of her to call him out with such tact and boldness. She oozed confidence in a way most kids can't comprehend. I want to be a teacher that brings out that same respectful confidence in my students.
ReplyDeleteI loved all the stories, but the one that stuck out to me was about Rubina. This story shows how building and enforcing compassion can change a student and a class. I loved how Rubina's whole family was beaming with pride as she was presented with the award.
ReplyDeleteOne quality that I believe could have the most impact for our students is building confidence. There are so many little things that we could do in our classrooms to present the gains that our students have accomplished throughout the year. Also, I like the idea of being able to build confidence throughout the school academically and behaviorally. One school that I taught in the past, teachers would send a message to the office weekly for one student to receive a "Principal Pride and Joy" award. The student's name would be announced and a short message explaining how or why they were receiving the award. Then the students would go the office and get their certificate from the principal to take home. These type of ideas could reach a variety of students in multiple ways hopefully building confidence for future success.
Those were four really good chapters…so many great stories that we can all relate to and learn from. I too loved the stories about Sara and Rubina! I also loved how he didn't react negatively to the older slow driver because he thought of his father. The stories I most enjoyed were the ones in the humor chapter. How about the dad that just replied, "You must have been hungry!" to the K that ate the chocolate bar that wasn't hers. Also, the day that Mr. Clark drew leaves on his pants to make a tree and then laughed with the class. My own personal children tell me that I make a mountain out of a mole hill. (This is a great parenting book as well!) I have caught myself wishing I had just laughed with some 5th graders about a situation first, then maybe have a serious conversation about it if necessary instead of just reacting in a strict, firm way. I love how he said, "the joy and delight that come from humor can be powerful tools when getting students to put forth effort and achieve at the highest levels." I am going to try to slow down in my reactions and remember to see things from a child's vantage point!
ReplyDeleteCompassion is so important, but I am choosing confidence! I believe that it is our jobs as teachers to give them the tools and knowledge and then the opportunities to succeed. We have to somehow "light that fire!" I love how Mr. Clark stated, "Preparation is the key to success. No matter what we do in life, the best way to ensure that we will be successful is to make sure that we are prepared." We have to let them see how effort pays off which will also lead to higher self esteem and hopefully a desire to succeed!
Typing this for the second time today, I hope this one posts.....
ReplyDeleteI really related to the story of Sara. I like how he removed her with friends from the situation before he addressed the class. This allowed him to handle the situation without her being singled out when she returned. I feel that we work well together in helping provide an out for students or offering suggestions in situations with students. Whether it be working to make a student feel more at ease or addressing those that are creating difficulty in the class.
I think confidence and compassion go hand in hand and when we address one the other is addressed as well. As we work toward building their confidence through one on one time, lots of positive praise, special recognition of their accomplishments I feel they will know it has been done out of compassion. Our model will foster that in our students and hopefully in our school.
I may look like I have the "same pants" on this year, but I DO NOT! I was HOT Monday and I thought of how hot recess would be. I went shopping for some coo light weight capris and found some at an AWESOME sale price. I bought all 3 of the pairs that were on the rack!!
I agree with everyone that there were numerous great stories that all of us can relate to and these four chapters are loaded with ideas that we could easily take back to our own classrooms. My favorite was the story about Sara, but I also liked the one about Melvin and the Pyramid of Pride. How Mr. Clark made both of these students feel about themselves is incredible. He definitely lifted both of these students self-esteem and confidence and made them feel good about themselves. This is something that I hope I do in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteWith all of the changes for this coming year, I agree that both compassion and confidence are going to play a vital role in our classrooms, as well as, our school wide community. For me, I am choosing confidence. I agree with Nina about "lighting a fire in our students", and like Stacey, I know there are many ways that we can celebrate small successes in our classrooms and school wide. I also loved how Mr. Clark spelled out how important preparation is to success in everything we do. Every year I hear parents say, "how much harder 3rd grade is for their child." In the past for many of them, their child has been very successful without spending a lot of time studying. I feel a lot of this goes to preparation. For this year, I'm thinking of how I can step my students through this process, while including the parents. I see this as a tool that we need to make sure each student learns how to do. We want each of our students to know what it takes to be prepared and what it feel like to be successful!
I to agree with everyone that these chapter were filled with so many great stories. I loved all the ones that led to student success. I loved the story about Saturday School. The fact that Mr. Clark and Mrs. Jones were willing to give up their Saturday to review for the test and then have fun with the students. It was a great idea to help the students feel confident and then show them you appreciate their hard work and provide a fun activity for them. Finding ways to motivate students and make them feel good about themselves is so important.
ReplyDeleteThe word that stood out to me was balance. I know I really need to work on balance within my classroom and between work and home. I would love to see our faculty work on balance of home and work. We have a dedicated, hard working staff that will do whatever it takes to help students be successful. I would love to see us be more collaborative and help each other so we can achieve a balance in our personal and professional lives. We all need to take time for ourselves to recharge.
Terry, I too would like to see more school wide collaboration. For BES to be successful in implementing the CCSS this year, I think collaboration is going to be imperative. I agree whole-heartedly about balance in our personal and professional lives. During the school year this is hard to achieve a lot of the time.
DeleteThere were so many great stories to choose from but like Pam, I like the story about Melvin and the Pyramid of Pride. Mr. Clark really uplifted Melvin and built up his confidence. I love when he comments about the look on his face. Some students need this type of attention more than others. I can only imagine the feeling of achievement Melvin must have felt to hear his name announced in front of the class, as well as seeing his paper hanging at the top of the pyramid.
ReplyDeleteI, like many of you, also choose the word confidence. Reading this chapter really makes you think about the difference confidence can make in a child's attitude and performance. Like I mentioned earlier, I love when Mr. Clark talks about the look on Melvin's face when he realizes "he did it". There are so many ways we can build confidence in our classrooms. We can celebrate the "you did it" moments when we get the chance. By starting in the classroom, we will see a difference school-wide. Mr. Clark also talks about the effect it has on students even after they are out of school. This should be a goal of ours, after all our jobs is to prepare students for "the real world". How better to do that then to encourage them to believe they are capable?