Hope everyone is having a good start to summer break. I'm posting questions for each chapter. In your comment label your responses with a 1) and 2) to represent the chapters. Feel free to respond to other's comments. Chapter 1- The Seven Engagement Factors
Which of the 7 factors are you most looking forward to overcoming? What are some ways you might address it?
Chapter 2- The Rules for Engagement
What are some ways you could build stronger relationships with your students?
(1) As I was reading this chapter, I found the stress level (factor 7) to be the most eye-opening section for myself. The line "impulsivity in commonly misdiagnosed to AD/HD but it is actually an exaggerated response to stress that serves as a survival mechanism" brought to mind several students that we have at Monroe. The idea that the chronic stress changes the brain's responses is fascinating to me. I think that just having that framework for understanding our students' behaviors makes a difference in how to interact with a student or respond to particular situations. In a way it doubles back to factor 6, relationships. For myself, I always find it easier to build relationships with students when I know their "story," and when looking at many of our students, chronic stress is just one of many pages in their story.
ReplyDeleteThe author also sited a study where aggressive, low SES students were specifically taught coping skills and stress relieving techniques and it resulted in decreases in their hostility. I think that this piece is a very important one. This school year I have seen HUGE improvements in some of our neediest students and I know that they have received help with strategies to regulate their emotions and cope with situations from our staff and outside counselors. However, I think that many more of our students would benefit from these same sorts of techniques. I think that the "family" structure I have heard mentioned for next year would be a great time to teach/practice some of the stress management strategies with students in smaller groups.
1-I believe Factor 3, Mind Set and Factor 6, Relationships are ones I am going to focus on in my room. Changing their ways of how they look at themselves as a learner is very important. I will work on building their self esteem as a learner. Also making a strong relationship with the child is just as necessary. I want them to feel connected to me so they will trust me and grow their engagement in the classroom.
ReplyDelete2-I feel showing my passion is a good factor to help get the children involved with learning. If they see how excited I am about the lesson I am teaching, it will help intrigue them to focus on what I want them to learn.
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ReplyDelete1) I was intrigued by this chapter. Factor #2 has always been a huge factor in my teaching partly because I have the ELL students but also because many of our students have such limited background knowledge. I am amazed every year when we get into schema as far as who knows what and who does not. This has been and will continue to be a major factor in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think in addition I am really going to put more effort into #7 Stress level. I personally rarely feel stressed. Part of that has come with age. You learn not to stress over little things and everything will work out. Kids don't have this insight and are just trying to make it through. I can't even begin to imagine what life at home is like for some of them. I want to try to make things better for them at school. I think if "we" as a classroom can feel less stress it will help everyone. I would love too have a more relaxed classroom so kiddos feel comfort as opposed to all the hustle and bustle, hurry up we have to ... It is so hard to slow down when there is so much to cover but I have to remember it will work out for them too as far as what is in my control. I have to make an effort to help them feel better about themselves and hope they can enjoy kindergarten while learning.
2) I am choosing #4 Embrace clarity. Sometimes I think my students understand only to discover some of them don't. It is my job to make sure all of them get it. I want to try to say more with less. To let them take a bigger role in understanding why and how. I would love for them to be able to try more out instead of me feeding it to them. This ties back to slowing down and allowing for more discovery. I need to do more of one or two directions and let them figure it out. I know they can do it. I just have to build the environment so they know they can do it too!
1) I had the exact same thoughts as Allison. It was also very eye-opening to me that impulsivity can be directly related to stress level. I think keeping that in mind will really help next year....especially if I know that the student is coming from a challenging home life. I do think it's also important though to not just assume the student is super stressed out or that the student has AD/HD but to in fact truly get to know that student and understand his/her background in order to determine the best way to help him/her succeed in the classroom.
ReplyDelete2) I enjoyed reading chapter 2 and it made me feel good to know that all 5 steps I do already try to incorporate into my teaching. However, I think I need to work on consistency with all 5 steps. I need to have a goal that incorporates the 5 steps each and every day no matter how exhausted I may be or how challenging my students may be on one particular day. I think it's sometimes easy to blame an outside factor on why students may not be engaged on a particular day or with a particular lesson. But, if I can truly embrace and utilize the 5 steps consistently and accurately I believe I will begin to see more and more engagement in my classroom.
Well apparently I am not very great at this blogging thing because I went to preview it and it deleted my post. So here goes round 2. :)
ReplyDelete1. I am going to work on a positive mind-set next year for both my students and myself. It is easy to have a bad attitude and then sit around and wonder why my students have the same attitude. Hello mirror!! :) He mentioned for teachers to focus more on growth and change, which I think we do a great job of! It's making sure our students on focusing on that same growth and change so they feel successful. I think this will work out quite nicely with our PGP of students goals.I think setting goals and tracking when they achieve them will help with a positive "I can do it!" mind-set. This is where the 4 to 1 rule and relationships come into play as well and can help create a more positive mind-set.
2. I really enjoyed reading about how valuable relationships are to engagement. He brought up many points that we all know and talk about, but I forget how powerful they can be with our students. I am especially going to try to share something about myself everyday with my students. I think I often get caught up in everything we had to get done rather than allowing enough time to share with them and let them share. Something else I can work on is actively listening when they come up to me and have something to share about their evening or weekend. Rather than finishing an email or taking lunch count, I need to just take the moment to stop and look and listen to them. I also thought the part where he talked about expecting the inappropriate reactions was very important. I forget that my parents and teachers modeled and practiced appropriate reactions with me when I was younger and our students need that same guidance, especially if they are not getting it at home. They need that quiet reminder of how to act, rather always being told to move their clip or flip a card (unless it's a chronic behavior). So I am going to build stronger relationships by doing these things on a more consistent basis.
Take comfort... I'm not doing well either with this blogging thing. I've started my post 2 times already and somehow I've managed to end up starting again. LOL!!! (One of those times, I accidentally hit "close all tabs" when I went to close the Fisher-Price website where my son and I were going through an A-B-C game. Whoops!)
DeleteWhen in doubt, type response in MS Word (or Google Docs...) and then copy/paste into blog to be safe.
DeleteBrilliant, Allison!!!! Why can't I think of things like that? It's not that I don't know how to do them. LOL!!! Thanks!
DeleteWhile reading the first chapter I identified so many of my past students to each factor. I felt like this was written about the students at our school.
ReplyDelete1) The factor that I look forward to overcoming next year would be the relationships. I am super excited about doing the "Families" that we had mentioned in Leadership and plan to roll out next year. Not being in the classroom, I miss having those personal relationships with my students on a day to day basis. Being in a "family" will allow me to be a positive adult that all children need in their lives. Within our "family" I can TEACH them a repertoire of social-emotional responses for school.
2) Upgrade your attitude and show your passion I feel go hand in hand. When we have a positive attitude and show others we love what we are doing it rubs off. I strive to have a positive attitude daily, but negativity is contagious. Keeping a positive attitude and displaying my love for my job will help keep a positive environment which will help to engage students.
I actually enjoyed even the preface and introductions of the book. There were a couple of quotes that I felt were very blunt but true. "Stop pointing fingers and making excuses." and "It's time to upgrade your teaching." I loved this because sometimes in teaching you find a "reason" for why a student is acting a certain way and you always just blame it on that reason instead of coming up with different ways to combat those actions. I then loved the section in the introduction where it stated, "We have to make our own miracles." That line was really inspiring to me, and brought me back to the reason I became a teacher: to be that extraordinary difference in a child's life.
ReplyDelete1) I think I am most looking forward to improving my relationships with students. We emphasize the importance of modeling great reading and writing skills-- but it's just as important with behavior and relationships. "Children who grow up with positive relationships learn healthy, appropriate emotional responses to everyday situations." This felt like an "ah-ha" moment for me. Of course students with a difficult home life also probably has less than ideal relationships.Therefore, they are not seeing the "appropriate" way to respond to situations. This leads me into believing that having constant and consistent expectations is also necessary so a student feels confident and comfortable in his or her learning environment.
2) I think a teacher is constantly improving and changing. All of these rules for engagement are important and can be improved upon in some way. Some ways I can increase engagement (by improving relationships) include sharing more about myself, thinking about students' comfort level with a lesson and how it's implemented, and kicking off lessons with more props/edge/excitement.
I felt the same way about the preface and introduction. I loved his statement that, "... teaching well will change you." Great reminder that teaching must continue to evolve or it becomes stagnant and ineffective.
Delete1.) Of the 7 factors I think stress level is a big one for me. I think that many of our students look at school as a place where they are going to be able and come and be accepted. The many stresses that they face at home go away even for just a little bit when they come to school. Students are looking for a calm, loving, caring, and enriching learning environment at school. They are looking for someone to care about them and take an interest in their life. They are looking for acceptance. To think too that chronic stress effects the way a child's brain reacts to a situation is enlightening. I never realized there was a correlation, but it completely makes sense. Knowing this I think I would take a different approach to those students who I know their background, and try to come up with coping strategies for them. Also it just goes to show that it is important to get to know every student on a personal level it makes a difference.
ReplyDelete2.) I think that building relationships with students should be at the forefront of the school year. Yes there are things to get done, but if you haven't established a relationship or show an interest in who the child is, they are less likely to work for you. Like I said earlier they are looking for a place where someone is going to listen to them and take an interest in their interest. I made a point last year to greet each student everyday. I think this made a huge impact in how the day went. I could tell just by saying hi to a student where their mood was and how they were feeling. It was about the connection with the students. I think that the goals in our Building PGP will help with this as well as the "Families" that we have been discussing in leadership. I takes work to build some relationships and others come easily, but in the end it is will worth the time and effort to form relationships with ALL students.
Kelli your comments about understanding students' stress made me think about my own frame of mind when I was a beginning teacher. Recently, I found my original MOREAP applications (actually really scary to read) and I had written that I didn't want know too much about students' backgrounds because I didn't want to "judge" students before I met them. My feelings have made a complete 180 since my first years teaching. I feel like having students' background stories is SO much of a tool that can help me as a teacher. What has changed are how I interpret that information. Instead of allowing the information to simply label a student, I have really started using the knowledge to frame my interactions with students. This book really does a great job of encouraging readers to look within themselves and reflect on how we interpret information and situations we all deal with. We can't change our students or their backgrounds...only how to we interpret and interact with that information.
Delete3rd time is the charm... I've started this blog a couple times. LOL!
ReplyDelete1) Teaching explicit music vocabulary is definitely the area that I'm lacking in my lessons. Partly because I've been ineffective with Word Walls. I always start off the beginning of the year strong, but then during the unit I don't know how to incorporate the wall once the word has been introduced. One year, I did have more success, when I used the science Word Wall for a vocabulary game. I divided the class into 4 teams. Each team received a different colored fly swatter (unused, of course). The teams would line up in front the wall with the leader of their line holding the fly swatter. I would read the definition of one of the words and each team would "swat" the correct word. Using different colors made it easy to determine which fly swatter hit the word first. I think this lasted for the first 3 to 4 units. However, the game becomes old after that. I was most successful using a Word Choice Wall in 6th grade writing. The wall would have an unacceptable 6th grade word "lined out" with synonyms that the class would help me add throughout the year that would be a better word choice. Since I don't teach writing anymore, I am open to any suggestions on how to use a Word Wall in music. I think that the fly swatter game would be great for grades 2nd-4th but only used sporadically throughout the year so that it doesn't lose its luster. What are some other ideas? I've never done a Word Wall with younger kiddos. Any suggestions on how to continue to integrate the Word Wall in music class through out a unit would be appreciated. I'm going to do some "google" searches to see what I can find.
2) I really got a lot out of Rule #4: Embrace Clarity. I can be very verbose, and I'm constantly reminding myself that "less is more". It's a great reminder to plan your lesson from the student's point of view. I loved the solutions he offered. In particular, the scenario where Tim had his foot on Kim's chair. The idea of not addressing the minor behavior and instead realizing the behavior is happening due to lack of engagement is genius. Offer an opportunity for the student/class to become engaged by asking the class to stand and stretch. This idea helps avoid potential power struggles and really deals with the issue (non-engagement). While I know, "Say want you do want from students, not what you don't want," it's nice to have a reminder too. I haven't done it yet, but I plan to look at his 10-minute Lesson Plan model too make the most of my time with kiddos and really be clear with what I'm trying to get across to the students. (www.10mintuelessonplans.com).
I was great about sharing personal stories in 6th grade Comm. Arts especially... stories to motivate reading, ideas for writing, etc... I find that in music, I don't share as much about myself as I used to. Definitely plan on bringing that back!
Other thoughts:
I know that we are starting Monroe Families next year. One thing that I remember when we did this at Benton was it is hard to find topics/activities/etc... that can be used for all grade levels. A couple ideas popped into my head: I was wondering if Betsy or another source might have lessons that teach coping skills and stress relieving techniques, scenarios of classroom disruptive behaviors that the older kiddos could "act" out which would lead to discussions of appropriate responses to use instead of becoming disruptive, and finally, opportunities to "learn about their (kids) dreams, hobbies, family, neighborhood, problems, and passions. Looking forward to all of the possibilities that Monroe Families holds.
After reading the Preface and the introduction to this book, my heart just broke for the author, but more so for the increased number of kiddos that are experiencing these heart wrenching situations at a young age. It truly makes me want to thank my parents profusely for the amazing upbringing I was given. I see these kiddos walk through our doors every morning that are dealing with hunger, eviction, death, drugs, abuse, etc. and realize more and more what an important role school plays for them each and every day.
ReplyDelete1.) After reading in detail about all of the 7 factors, I really think that I have to agree with most of the posts: stress factor. I think that because many of our kiddos are thrown into horrendous situations once they walk out our doors, some we can’t even begin to comprehend, that negative behaviors are apparent in the classroom and we can’t be quick to say they need medication or “ah what will we do with this kid?”. It makes me more aware and my eyes are open that students can be stressed too and the reasoning behind their negative behaviors. I especially liked when the author said that kiddos don’t have to be stuck this way! This year, I hope to be able to give students a calm and non-hostile environment to learn in each day, know some coping strategies to help them learn life-long skills and not just enough to survive 2nd grade, and to think differently about the ways that I approach impulsive or explosive kids with an enlightened mind that there are other solutions to shaping their behaviors.
2.) I think that building relationships with my kiddos can’t just be at the beginning of the year, but growing that relationship with me and the rest of the class is an ongoing process. I really enjoyed reading chapter 2 and the rules to keep in the forefront of my mind when planning daily lessons. I think over the year we use all of the rules, but it is more here and there. I want to try to really focus on these rules as I plan lessons. Thinking strategically about which rule to use and when to use it is crucial to reaching each student in the class and growing our learning. I especially liked that the examples were simple and often not elaborate ideas that would take time and money, but the result would be positive to engage kiddos in their learning.
Hi, everyone. I am new to Monroe this year, but my previous teaching experience was in a school with very similar student backgrounds. Reading these first 2 chapters brought several former students to mind.
ReplyDelete1) Reading the engagement factors, the one that stuck out for me was factor 6 Relationships. We all know how important this is and I know I focus on this at the beginning of the year, but I want to make this a priority throughout the year to continue to build relationships with my students. I also what to work on creating a community in my classroom, which includes building and focusing on the relationships between the students. I feel that, if students have these positive relationships in the classroom and learn appropriate responses to emotional situations, it will affect some of the other factors, as well, such as, their effort and energy, having a positive mind-set and their stress level. Stress level was another one that really stood out for me. I think sometimes, as adults, we forget how much stress children can be under day in and day out. I want to create a classroom for my students where each and every one of them feel accepted and safe, so they are capable of learning every day. I also want to be able to provide coping strategies for those kiddos that are facing a large amount of stress in their lives, so they can reach their full potentials, as they grow.
2) As I said, I think I really focus on relationships and getting to know my students at the beginning of the year and then get so focused on what needs to be done, that some of the strategies and activities I use at the beginning of the year get pushed under the rug to make room for those things. I want to focus on letting my students get to know me, while I am getting to know them throughout the year by sharing information about myself. I also want to focus on using polite conversation techniques throughout the classroom everyday. Using "please" and "thank you" and other polite words in every day conversations, as well as, using appropriate eye contact while listening and talking are important life skills to use in building relationships inside and outside of our classroom.
1) I also found the introduction to be surprising and captivating. It is always amazing to find out the "hidden stories" behind people. I think this is also important with our kids as well. Too many times the outside is not a true representation of the inside of our students. The factors I look most forward to improving on are connecting to my students and improving cognitive capacity. Every student deserves the right to learn and find success and whatever I can do to help my students succeed despite what life has dealt them is my goal. I think the class meetings we began this year was a good start, but I plan to continue to develop connecting with my students throughout the year. I am looking forward to reading more and finding more strategies to help my students not only this year, but in the years to come.
ReplyDelete2) I liked the suggestions for connecting with students in sharing about yourself each week. It can be easily done through our writing lessons and in class meetings. We do a lot of this in the beginning of the year but I think it's important to do consistently over the course of the year. I know my students always enjoyed hearing the latest story about my daughter and I hope to incorporate more examples of adventures I have had to serve as a positive role model and to encourage my kids to be whatever they desire.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the "Buy in" rule for engagement. We try to teach our kids to develop good leads or hooks in their writing, and what better way to broaden that than by incorporating it in everyday examples in their learning. I know I have used some of the 5 rules for engagement in my teaching, but I know I haven't used all of them consistently and I plan to use them more effectively from now on.
1) I feel redundant for posting this but, I can definitely agree with most of you that Factor #7 (Stress Level) will be the one that I am MOST looking forward to overcoming! I really had no idea that these negative and unfortunate situations that some of our low income kids are dealing with effects them so greatly at school. It was really eye-opening as I read this thinking about some of the kids that I have taught and some that are coming up. This chapter outlines so many of our kids at Monroe and it's so sad to realize how terrible these kids must be feeling on the inside. I do feel like it is also important to realize the difference between "Acute Stress" and "Chronic Stress" because these are the warning signs and "cries for help" from our students. I feel it is extremely important in our profession to recognize these signs and to know how to support our students when they show us these signs of distress. I always knew that too much stress in life had a negative effect on your body, mind, etc... but, I had no clue it could effect children in this way, especially at school!
ReplyDelete2) Some of the ways that I plan on building relationships with my new students is to definitely incorporate the passion side of teaching. As many of you already know, I will be starting a different position at Monroe, one of which I am VERY passionate about (technology and teaching). My hope is that by showing by true passion for teaching and learning through technology that I will in turn get positive results from ALL of our students at Monroe. I know that I have HUGE shoes to fill! I also am planning on having class meetings with my classes to build relationships within my classroom as well. As I read this chapter, I remember being "that kid" in class that didn't care and wasn't engaged. I also didn't stick out because I didn't fit the "norm." I didn't come from a low income family, I didn't have attention problems, and I had the ability to do the work. I was just not engaged and didn't feel connected. I also remember my all time favorite teacher who changed it all for me. She changed it all for me in 7th Grade, yes, it took that long! My teacher became my favorite because she took the time to get to know me as a person and let me get to know her. We had the type of relationship where I could ask about her family and she could ask about mine. She encouraged me to try out for the volleyball team, I had no interest because I didn't feel connected to the school. When she told me she was the coach, I was on board. I made the team, was good, and felt good about myself for the first time ever. It changed my entire mindset and my entire outlook on school. To this day, she is the reason I wanted to become a teacher! I hope that someday, kids can say that about me!!! BTW, my favorite teacher is still a teacher and she's my friend on Facebook. :)
Whoa... I didn't know. Congrats!!!
DeleteWelcome to the team!!!
Delete1) I think for myself I would like to focus on vocabulary. Working with a variety of students and age groups, I have come to discover that many of them lack the basic language skills. They are still using improper grammar and are not even aware of it. I always used to feel bad for correcting them for it, but I have come to realize if I don't tell them the proper way they will never learn. Recently I have realized that even the other students will tell them the proper way. Many students are left to fend for themselves at home and never are truly taught how to speak proper grammar or I have come to noticed that their parent speaks the same way they do. The cycle has to break. I also agree with the stress levels, but I believe that it goes back to the child being responsible for almost raising themselves.
ReplyDelete2) I think for me I need to work on getting buy-in from my students. Many of the students I see are there not because they can't read, but because they are choosing not to read. Many of them do not read nightly nor do they read during their independent reading time. They need to find the joy in reading, as well as see how it effects everything else around them. Once they get hooked, they can improve not because of instruction, but because of their attitude.
Well apparently I'm not the only one who is having problems posting...oh well I will try it again!
ReplyDelete1. I was really struck by the stress factor as well. I know that many of my most difficult students were under either acute stress or chronic stress. I know that when I'm stressed that I act grouchy so why did I not consider that students would act the same? I will definitely be working on this factor for next year.
2. Building relationships was something I really worked on this year but I still have a way to go. I made it a point to greet the students as they came in, we had daily class meetings, and I had a routine for saying goodbye each night (high five, handshake, hug, or "Hollywood kiss") they would choose. I felt closer to the kids but I know that at times I would get rushed and I would just go through the motions. I know that kids see right through that and I want to always be genuine. Taking time to check in with kids will be a priority next year!
Hello everyone! I will be one of the new 3rd grade teachers at Monroe next year! I am very much looking forward to meeting all of you and working with such a close-knit staff! I have only taught for one year so far but I was in a school with a demographic very similar to Monroe’s and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for including me in this book study!
ReplyDelete(1) Out of the 7 factors listed by Jensen, I believe teachers have the most control over relationships (factor 6). We cannot control the environment each child comes from and we cannot control a child’s previous vocabulary or cognitive capacity, but we can control the way we connect with each child and the way we make them feel in our classroom. For this reason, I will definitely focus on building strong relationships with every student that enters my classroom. I truly feel that if a child doesn’t trust me or feel comfortable around me, I will never get them to be engaged in his or her learning. They need to know that they are safe and cared for in order to be able to concentrate on a new math concept or reading strategy. I know that community building at the beginning of the year is crucial in order to build relationships, but I want to make sure that I continue to implement community building strategies throughout the year. I also want to maintain positive relationships with my students’ families because I want them to feel involved and comfortable at Monroe. I’m hoping the extra energy I put into this factor will allow me to see an increase in student engagement next year!
(2) After reading the first chapter of this book and teaching in a low SES school last year, I feel like I understand how poverty affects children at school. What I most want to improve are the engagement strategies I use during my instruction. Last year, I often felt overwhelmed and flustered when I had students who were not engaged in a lesson. I didn’t always know what to do to pull them in and get them interested, so I’m hoping this book will help me feel prepared. I loved the possible solutions listed under the “Get Buy-In” strategy. Children love to feel grown up so I could see the “bigger kid challenge” being very effective in a classroom. I also like the idea of introducing an activity by breaking it into smaller chunks so students are constantly hearing new directions one step at a time. It can be very easy to tune out someone who is overwhelming you with information, and I know I have a tendency to be long-winded occasionally! ☺ I am very excited to try these new strategies in a few short months!
1. The engagement factor that stood out the most to me was number 6, talking about relationships. I can think of many students I have had in class that are lacking positive relationships in their lives. I think it is essential for me to fill that void by having positive interactions with my students. I also think it is important for me to teach my students how to have positive relationships with their peers. I plan on doing this by incorporating more classroom community time in the days throughout the school year. I agree with what Jenn said, we are really good about building our classroom community at the start of the school year, but I start to forget about it's importance once I start instructing academics. I plan to implement some year long routines this time around!
ReplyDelete2. I love the golden rule. I want to always speak to my students the way I would want someone to speak to me. I think this kind of relates to the idea of giving students stability which many of them lack at home. Them trusting me to always treat with them with respect will only strengthen our relationship and further their willingness to learn. I LOVE the idea of affirming the good in my students all the time. It's so easy to get caught up in a lesson and forget to thank them for participating or contributing.
I will be very excited to implement new ideas in my classroom when August rolls around!
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ReplyDeleteI just sat down to begin my blog but found myself inspired by everyone's post I couldn't quit reading. How blessed are we to have such an awesome and caring group of people to spend so much of our life with and on top of that the wonderful kids who walk in our doors every day and put smiles on our faces. I can't wait to see what this school year holds for each of us!
ReplyDelete1. The relationship factor resonated with me most of all. When I think back to myself as a student I performed best when I knew my teacher personally and felt connected to them. I liked school better and I had better friendships with my peers. My take away as I read these chapters was that it is my job to make sure our school culture and climate always has relationships at the forefront of what we do. Our students who challenge us the most are craving relationships and attention. We can be that positive reliable adult every day. It was affirming to me when I read the part about positive affirmations to negative ones that we picked the perfect building PGP goal for next year. The statement, "In poor homes, the ratio of positives to negatives is typically a 1 to 2 ratio. Contrast this to the 6 to 2 positives to negatives in the homes of higher-income families. I love that we are focusing on the 4:1 next year. I think this alone done genuinely will have huge impact on our kids!
2. When I was reading these chapters I found myself distracted particularly in chapter 2 because my mind started thinking of ways I can engage students and build deeper relationships. He had so many great ideas and it made me start to think of so many different things we can do every day. What I found myself thinking next was, I have the time now to think of these things but as the year gets going many times this type of thinking is the first to go. So many of you said that we need to remember to do relationship building activities all year and I think we also need to take time to think of new engagement strategies. By helping each other remember these important steps all year, I think we can make it happen and see huge results for all our kids.
ReplyDeleteWhen I stop to think about how little control a child has over her environment, it makes me realize that stress has to be a huge factor for many of our students. Imagine going home every night not knowing what you'll find--or not find. It's scary to me just thinking about it.
Then, of course, you adapt to your environment. If yelling works, you yell. If withdrawal works, you withdraw. You learn this over time and there is plenty of modeling going on around you. Then you take the things you've learned to a place where they don't apply and try use them and . . . even bigger problems. Now, if you have to learn new ways of proceeding by trial and error . . .and, of course, you are misinterpreting half of what you experience as you are using a set of criteria for valuing your experience that does not apply to the current situation, you are going to make a lot of mistakes for a very long time.
At what now seems to be the far distant past, I was a child,too. I grew up in an alcoholic home where, because of the alcoholism, poverty was a major factor. My father was not physically or sexually abusive, but he was certainly verbally abusive. We probably heard about 300 negatives for every positive.
I hope to remember that we are all doing what we've been taught to do and when we know better, we do better. I will teach that everything changes.
1. Factor 3: Effort and Energy
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading each of these factors and I think strengthening each of these areas would be amazing! As we focus on relationships next year I don't want to forget the "Effort and Energy" part of the relationship building process. I think sometimes we become so bogged down with everything that is on our plate that it is easy to spend time being positive with our students who are easy to make connections with. In truth, those aren't the children who need us the most. We should press on even when we feel that our most time consuming kiddos aren't "getting it" because they are really counting on us the most to create a positive learning environment, not give up on them because it is the easy thing to do. The author said: "People living in poverty typically value education as much as middle-income people do and they spend at least as many hours working each week as do their higher counterparts. There is no "inherited laziness" passed down from poor parents to their children. Poor people simply work at lower paying jobs." The author went on to say "Students living in poverty are practical about what motivates them. They want to know who the teacher REALLY is, and they want the teacher to connect to their world. When teachers cannot or won't connect personally, the students are less likely to trust them". Wow. Is it that easy? There are always students in my class who I feel "fly under the radar". My questions to myself are "How can I get those students motivated? What will help them feel connected? What do I have to do to gain their trust and earn their respect?" At the same time I need to remember that their parents care just as much as any other parents. Although every family has different circumstances that vary on the outside, it is likely they still care about education just as much as an affluent family. My goal is to be transparent enough for students to see the real me in hopes that they let me see the real them.
2- Goals for engagement and relationship building:
- Share a bit about myself every day: Whether it be a video on my cell phone that I took of my dog doing tricks, or a new skill my daughter has learned, some pictures of a family vacation, or sharing a hobby or passion, it is important to let students know who I am as a real person.
-Respect your students: I like what Jane said. The Golden Rule is an excellent way to live everyday life. I also put my daughter in the shoes of the children in my class. How would I want her treated? Sarcastically? No. Raised voice? No. Ignored? No. Then there is the adage: "The most unloved children will as for love in the most unloving of ways". Even when a student isn't fond of me it is usually because our relationship isn't there yet. I must be patient and show them more of my positive and loving personality.