This book reminded me (again!) about why it's so important to always be reading something about teaching. It was inspiring and there were many days where I was able to use something from what I was reading. Reading is powerful!
Some things I've never thought of: p. ix why would a school that teaches caring, student-centered, value and purpose-driven education have a caricature of a feral beast (wildcat) as a mascot?
Re: Pirates as mascots: interesting choice for an elementary school. Pirates rape, pillage and murder
p. 11 To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society (Theodore Roosevelt)
He talks about Golden Children and Tarnished Children....which seemed a little offensive at first to me. It does, however, make a lot of sense.
p. 23 Golden Children: the children that are a joy to have in class. They're ready to learn. They have supportive families. They grow up to be smart ang good. They look you in the eye, smile at you, greet you sincerely and enthusiastically because they like school and learning and are self-confident and socially and emotionally competent. They're the ones we love to spend our time with as teachers. But they don't need you. They will continue to sparkle, unblemished by your mediocrity and even ineptitude as a teacher. You are therefore, in a sense, wasting your time (sadly a disproportionate amount of time at that) on such children.
p. 25 The Tarnished Children: .....need you desperately....you can be the single factor that changes the entire trajectory of that child's life.
p. 29 Even though most teachers care about their students, it can be a challenge to form caring relationships with students who are difficult...these children often find it hard to believe that their teachers really care about them, despite the evidence that they do.
When teachers have a framework that allows them to believe that even their most disruptive and disrespectful students want, deep down in their hearts, to be liked and respected, it will be possible to engage all students as partners who need assurances that they are worthy of care, as well as guidance and support, in their struggle to come competent members of the classroom community. It's important to be patient. Creating a classroom in which students and teacher alike feel trusted and cared for takes time. But it is that atmosphere of mutual trust and care that will lead to a naturally well-managed and disciplined classroom.
When teachers have a framework that allows them to believe that even their most disruptive and disrespectful students want, deep down in their hearts, to be liked and respected, it will be possible to engage all students as partners who need assurances that they are worthy of care, as well as guidance and support, in their struggle to come competent members of the classroom community. It's important to be patient. Creating a classroom in which students and teacher alike feel trusted and cared for takes time. But it is that atmosphere of mutual trust and care that will lead to a naturally well-managed and disciplined classroom.
p. 59 I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It si my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess a tremendous power to make a life miserable to joyous. I can be a tool of torture, or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a person humanized or dehumanized.
p. 32 ...every adult in a school who comes into contact with children impacts their character development, for better or for worse. You cannot NOT (double negative intended) be a character educator. Character education is an enterprise from which you cannot abstain. It is not a personal choice, just as being a role model is not a personal choice. There is no off switch to character education, and there is no Harry Potter clock of invisibility for educators. Every day, for good or ill, students are seeing you, and that includes all of your blemishes and missteps, and you are always impacting their character development
Chapter 10: Hearing Voices: A Pedagogy of Empowerment Character lesson idea: Let the older kids teach the younger kids or let them teach their peers
Characteristics of our best teachers:
- build personal relationships with students
- make learning (and classrooms) fun
- set high standards (expect high performance)
- model a passion for learning and knowledge
- see the potential in students that others don't see
- they go above and beyond the standard boundaries of the normal school day
Characteristics of our worst teachers:
- they are mean to students, often for categorical reasons (eg race, ethnicity, gender, religion and appearance)
- they are insensitive to student pain, crisis, etc.
- they are rigid, inflexible and unfair
- they simply don't seem to care about students and/or teaching
Goodreads says:
Whatever is on the mind of a child can be more important to the child than a lesson at school. This book is a collection of insights, designed and tested from decades of teaching, workshops and lessons learned, to help educators stimulate their epiphanies about how best to serve the academic and developmental needs of students. It is user-friendly, provocative, and humorous and intended for all who work with and love working with children. PERFECT for a total staff reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment