I was recently touched and inspired by a student that I taught last year. When the student came to my class they were extremely intelligent,creative, and independent. This however often became lost behind the lack of organizational skills, out burst, and underdeveloped social skills with peers. Overall it appeared the student was in school succeeding academically on tests but wasn't engaged in school, the learning process, or their peers. As always I was prepped on the students' in my class prior to the year starting. Most of the responses I received about this student started as positive with anecdotes about how smart the student was but were quickly followed by all the things that set them apart from others and that frustrated teachers. I choose to do what I always do, listen to my colleagues feedback and then store it in the back of my mind until I formed my own relationship and opinion and then pull on the information shared with me as needed. I also listened to the positives and concerns of the family. As the first few months progressed I took a more observatory role and just watched how the student responded to various request and environments. I noticed that they choose to read on their own at recess or secluded themselves and chat out loud with them self. In class they generally daydreamed during the lesson and then didn't quiet know what to do during independent work, but with a little guidance was successful in work completion. I noticed how they engaged with peers in large and small group work. After I had gathered enough mental notes I then put some plans in actions. I set up a self guided and personalized system to improve their organizational skills, when they were found eligible for TAG services I tailored the program to the student including content that was very engaging to them. One of the things that I did that I think had the greatest impact on me and on the student was that I always kept in mind that everything I was asking of them was a challenge and that I had to remain calm and firm. I did my best to calmly approach and quietly redirect to keep the child from feeling embarrassed. I posed difficult task as a challenge to the student when I realized that they really enjoyed overcoming challenges. I even had the student be my assistant and taught them how important their role was in the classroom to help other students when I wasn't available. I often heard from others in the building " how to you deal with _____, they must drive you crazy". My response was " No, not really, I'm not going to change who they are or their personality so I have to adapt myself and help guide them through appropriate social engagement and help them recognized and respond to social cues." Of course we often don't get to see the deep rooted impact we have on children however, I am posting this story because this was one of the rare instances that I did get to see the impact. One day while chatting with the student's mother she shared with me how happy she and her child was with the school year. She shared with me what her child told her about me. The child said something along the lines of "You know mom Ms. Cashwell isn't mean she doesn't yell or scream but she is fair and firm and she means business." I was very flattered because that is ultimately what I want students to see me as. This was especially meaningful because the family had expressed that they thought the child had been yelled at a lot in school. Over the course of the year I saw the student engage and initiate in recess play with other students daily, smile much more often and take ownership of the things that are challenging to them and set goals for improvement. This story is a simple one but I share it as a reminder to myself and to others that a positive approach to the small things have a huge and lasting impact. This student is now in the third grade and is successful academically and socially and has a strong sense of self esteem and importance.
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