Me: "Corey, what's going on? Give Angel your dollar (for buck-a-jean)."
Corey: "mmm..."Me: "Did you forget your dollar?"
Corey: "No..."
It turns out Corey had knowingly given his dollar to a classmate (who was afraid to get in trouble) at the risk of getting a highlight and not being able to dress down for a month.
---
Student 1: "Could you please move me? Robert keeps talking to me..."Student 2: "Yeah, Robert is talking and making me get in trouble..."
Student 3: "Robert turns around all the time and distracts me..."
Me: "Enough! It is not one person's fault. You are pointing fingers at one person, and how do you think that person feels? It's like when someone gets made fun of for dropping the pass on the football field at recess. Take a look at that finger, and think about yourself."
Students: Silence
It turns out Robert has been experiencing a pretty volatile home life, bouncing around among grandparents', dad's, and other grandparents' houses.
---
Me: "Josh, where is your homework? I need to check everyone else's, so please get it out."
Josh: "I just have to find it."
Me (probably a little too sharply): "I'll come back."
about 5 minutes later on the way to computer lab...
Brianna (on the way to computer lab): "Miss Foyle, when we pray in between subjects, could we please pray for Joshua. He's really upset today. His uncle died."
It turns out Josh's uncle had passed away the previous morning after a tough battle with cancer. Josh said he was his favorite uncle because he used to come visit and throw the football around with him and his brothers.
Josh: "I just have to find it."
Me (probably a little too sharply): "I'll come back."
about 5 minutes later on the way to computer lab...
Brianna (on the way to computer lab): "Miss Foyle, when we pray in between subjects, could we please pray for Joshua. He's really upset today. His uncle died."
It turns out Josh's uncle had passed away the previous morning after a tough battle with cancer. Josh said he was his favorite uncle because he used to come visit and throw the football around with him and his brothers.
---
What I needed this week was a wake-up call, and that's what I got (in numerous ways - the above 3 scenarios are just a sampling of what happened this week) - there is always another side from what teachers see day-to-day in the classroom. It's difficult to remember at times, but in order to help these students through the rest of the year, these are the kinds of things I just can't ignore. Students lose pets, get pressured at home, get bullied on the recess field, screw up at football practice, don't have a stable home life...the list goes on.
And, don't get me wrong, it's not all bad: Grandparents visit, cheerleading squads go to state competition, girl scouts sell cookies, students have piano recitals - and sometimes that can be just as distracting in the classroom.
While test grades and standardized evaluations matter (there's no way around it in education), I have to look beyond to the greater purpose: Giving these students a stable environment, where they enjoy coming to learn, spending time with each other, and celebrating their Catholic faith. Of course I want their test scores off the charts - what teacher doesn't? - but it is so much more than that. These students need life skills. These students need tips for organization.
These students need love.
What I needed this week was a wake-up call, and that's what I got (in numerous ways - the above 3 scenarios are just a sampling of what happened this week) - there is always another side from what teachers see day-to-day in the classroom. It's difficult to remember at times, but in order to help these students through the rest of the year, these are the kinds of things I just can't ignore. Students lose pets, get pressured at home, get bullied on the recess field, screw up at football practice, don't have a stable home life...the list goes on.
And, don't get me wrong, it's not all bad: Grandparents visit, cheerleading squads go to state competition, girl scouts sell cookies, students have piano recitals - and sometimes that can be just as distracting in the classroom.
While test grades and standardized evaluations matter (there's no way around it in education), I have to look beyond to the greater purpose: Giving these students a stable environment, where they enjoy coming to learn, spending time with each other, and celebrating their Catholic faith. Of course I want their test scores off the charts - what teacher doesn't? - but it is so much more than that. These students need life skills. These students need tips for organization.
These students need love.
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