If the readings hadn't been assigned weeks in advance, I would have thought that Dr. Eisele gave us "See The Best in Your Students" this week due to some of the conversations that we were just having in class. We are all fresh and new and inspired by all of the learning we are doing in the UW classrooms and in our placements. We want the best for every single student. We are appalled and hurt when we hear negative comments about any student. We reassure each other and we remind one another that "every behavior is an attempt to communicate." We don't assume that a child is acting out just for the sake of acting out. We truly do want to see the best in our students.
We struggle when we hear a student described as low. We've been taught that there are multiple intelligences. If a student struggles in one area, that doesn't mean they will struggle in all of them. We must recognize their strengths and build on them. It will be much easier to build on these strengths if we walk into our classrooms energized and happy to see every single one of the students there. This chapter reminded me that I used to ask my colleagues to smile before they answered the phone. It sounds a bit corny, but it works. The customer can hear that smile (or frown) in your voice. Our students are right there in front of us, there is no hiding our feelings from them. And, somehow when they are young, the seem to have a heightened sense of our feelings (ESF?)
If we can't always completely escape negativity, we can take a deep breath, smile, and be the positive impact in our students lives.
You have summed the chapter and our experiences well.
ReplyDeleteAs I said in my blog, I am not fully aware of all the practical problems in managing a classroom, of all the complications involved in making sure that all the students succeed, and of various strategies that I need to master to skillfully tackle parent concerns. But being with kids does something to me.
It makes me forget all the troubles/worries/stresses that I have.
If just their presence can be so therapeutic than we better make sure that we give them our best and make all possible efforts to create fruitful learning experiences for all of them.
I like Linsin's advice of staying away from the staff room and keeping the company of only those who see +ve things in their students.