Cut from the same cloth
A few nights ago, our landlords had my roommate and I over for dinner. Ah, vegetarianism in the Delta. They had fried chicken, I had mashed potato and peas. No complaints, though. They are very nice people -- friendly, respectful of our space, welcoming. Dr. M-- has taken to calling me "Little Bit." So now I have two Delta names (the first is my school moniker, Mi' Hay', of course.)
There was a parent rally at our school the night after the dinner. I had about three parents/grandparents show up, one of whom is the mother of my extremely hyperactive student, J--. She's my age, my size, and has about as much control over J-- as I do (which is to say very little). She was wearing a shirt that a friend had made her for her birthday that said, "Happy Birthday, Lil' Bit," on it.
People everywhere are so much the same. It's the circumstances that change them.
I went observing last Friday with my program director. Constant reflection and improvement is one of Teach for America's core values. My students are loud and my centers are not operable on their own. I wanted to look at how some successful corps members dealt with both issues. I observed my learning team leader, who also teaches first grade, my course leader, who is a 3rd year corps member and teaches 2nd grade, and an amazing kindergarten teacher who is up for a national award. I could see my class getting to the point where my course and learning team leaders had their classes. We're not that far off. It was the kindergarten class that amazed me. The children were so quiet and well behaved and were working the whole time -- not a single child was off-task for the entire duration of our visit.
The observation solidified my conviction that our surroundings influence our behavior. My students are raucuous and off task because I have allowed that to be the climate in my classroom. M--'s students come from the same types of homes in a similar town to the one I teach in, and yet they were acting completely differently. Amazing. Very inspiring, as well.
There was a parent rally at our school the night after the dinner. I had about three parents/grandparents show up, one of whom is the mother of my extremely hyperactive student, J--. She's my age, my size, and has about as much control over J-- as I do (which is to say very little). She was wearing a shirt that a friend had made her for her birthday that said, "Happy Birthday, Lil' Bit," on it.
People everywhere are so much the same. It's the circumstances that change them.
I went observing last Friday with my program director. Constant reflection and improvement is one of Teach for America's core values. My students are loud and my centers are not operable on their own. I wanted to look at how some successful corps members dealt with both issues. I observed my learning team leader, who also teaches first grade, my course leader, who is a 3rd year corps member and teaches 2nd grade, and an amazing kindergarten teacher who is up for a national award. I could see my class getting to the point where my course and learning team leaders had their classes. We're not that far off. It was the kindergarten class that amazed me. The children were so quiet and well behaved and were working the whole time -- not a single child was off-task for the entire duration of our visit.
The observation solidified my conviction that our surroundings influence our behavior. My students are raucuous and off task because I have allowed that to be the climate in my classroom. M--'s students come from the same types of homes in a similar town to the one I teach in, and yet they were acting completely differently. Amazing. Very inspiring, as well.
posted by Jessica at 1:19 AM
1 Comments:
I wouldn't completely blame yourself for the demeanor of your classroom. Studies have shown that even after controlling for teacher effects, peer effects matter, and the inclusion or exclusion of just one or two students in a classroom can change the outcome of an entire class.
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