Take 5 - 9/8/06
This week was a bit crazy. A new teacher made a comment to me about Arapahoe having much more paperwork and computer responsibilities than his old school. I asked how that made him feel and he replied by saying it took more time but he didn't mind because it was for the benefit of the students. So TRUE!
I witnessed some amazing one on one teaching today during hall duty. A math teacher was individually bringing his students into the hall to discuss grades and issues in class. The Study Center was brought up many times but the thing that struck me the most was his sincere concern for the students and their understanding of the concepts. Isn't that what we are here for? How can we make a difference in the lives of our students? How do we show we care? Every teacher is different and we can't reach every student but the ones we do - how much does that mean to them?
I think we get so tied up with paperwork, IC, and meetings we forget why we are really here. It doesn't matter if all of our lesson plans look perfect or if our grades are 100% up to date everyday. What matters is how we affect our student's lives everyday. How little comments we make can change their day or their attitude about learning certain subjects. How can we speak their language and still push them to the limits of our goals for them? We may be the only positive influence they have. Think about that for a while. (This coming from a situation I had in class on Tuesday.) Interesting thought to ponder....
posted by A. Bradley at 3:21 PM
4 Comments:
What a good reminder...it's so easy to get caught up in what we're teaching that we overlook who we're teaching. I will sometimes go a week or two and wonder if I've even spoken to a particular student at all...especially if, like you said, we're one of their only positive interactions. With that said, I'm glad that you have this perspective because I'm sure that you're making an awesome impact on all of your students!
10:16 AM
Like Cara, I catch myself wondering sometimes if I've really made one-on-one contact with some of my students in a given week. It's easy to blame large classes and say that there are too many students to give time to each one, but if we take the time to talk a little extra with even two ore three students a day it can add up. When I think about my own kids, or when I look out at the parents at Back to School Night, I think about how I'd like to think that my children were more than just a face in the crowd to a teacher.
8:56 PM
I'm in total agreement concerning the comment that "we may be the only positive influence" in the life of a particular student. That's one reason I'm thankful to be a language arts teacher. Not that other teachers can't learn about their students, their lives, through activities and speaking with them, but as a language arts teacher, I have the opportunity to have students write about their lives and to connect what we're studying with their own lives. I think all teachers could do the same.
2:31 PM
I'm so glad to hear other people say that we need to step back and remind ourselves that the most important thing about out jobs is the way we impact students. I find myself forgetting that - how shameful to say - with obligations that pop up. It's like I can't see the forest from the trees, or more like I FORGET to see the forest!!!!
2:28 PM
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