Pay close attention to:
- Section 18 Thanks To You (page 55)--quite a tribute to you as an educator
- Section 20 Humor Homework (pg. 61)-- some great ideas to possibly implement as part of your final project.
- Section 21 Play Sheet--Ways to influence your classroom and school environment
Please post AHAS and thoughts from these sections.
Sometimes it does not take much to light a flame in a child. It can be as simple as a smile of encouragement or a sincere interest in their opinion. I think of my classroom as my extended family and treat each child as I would like my child to be treated. I think it is important to share my vulnerabilities with the children so they can relate more with me. For example, when my son first began playing baseball he was hit with a wild pitch and became very afraid of the ball. To help him get over his fear I took him to the batting cage. First, I let him watch me attempt to hit the ball. My goal was to show him how much fun I had at missing the ball while never giving up. We had so much fun and laughter together that he never knew I was secretly building his confidence. These days kids see so much perfection in the world with all the amazing athletes, but they miss out on witnessing the struggles and failures it took for them to reach this stardom. Not only students, but society likes instant gratification. As a teacher, I want my students to see me make mistakes and more importantly watch how I fix them.
ReplyDeleteThanks to You
ReplyDeleteAs I read this section a former student of mine immediately came to mind. It was my first year teaching. I had a student HC who was a very troubled girl with a background that many adults would find difficult to cope with much less a 13 year old girl. Her parents divorced when she was very young, her father lived in a different state and she was planning to visit him the summer before 8th grade when he died of a drug overdose. Her mother, who was very young, had remarried by this time and had two young children with her new husband. During the school the new husband threw HC and her mother out of the house and immediately the new girlfriend moved in. The mother was later arrested after showing up at her ex-husbands house after a night of drinking. HC had to testify at the trial. HC was a tough girl. She was verbally abusive to teachers and quite the discipline problem. She dressed very inappropriately for her age. But at times I could see the softer sweeter side of her and I really liked her. She was in a small assisted study group for kids who were identified as at risk. My last memory of her was her leaving the 8th grade recognition ceremony before it started because her outfit was deemed inappropriate and she refused to put a sweater over it. Over the years I asked former students how she was doing and learned that she had left our school district. On my last day of school, four years after she graduated 8th grade she came to my school to let me know how she was doing. She was living on her own taking classes on the Internet to finish up her high school diploma and enrolled to start a nursing program. She said she came to visit me to let me know that she was doing okay and to apologize for how she behave in 8th grade. I of course told her she had nothing to apologize for. It made my year to see her and to see that she made it.
Humor Homework
I often tell embarrassing stories about myself to my students. Some are things that happened recently other stories are from my childhood. Its always fun to hear their embarrassing stories. It’s amazing what they will share!
Play Sheet
I think the most important thing is to not take ourselves too seriously and not be afraid to do goofy things in order to create a playful environment. My mentor during my first year teaching has a great sense of humor and has been a great role model for me to incorporate humor in the classroom.