I know we talked about this briefly in class, but I feel like it can never talk about it enough. The "it" I'm referring to in this case is the power of positivity! Looking back on my high school career, I was fortunate enough to have a mom who was very invested in my education (almost too much sometimes), I had a plethora of educational resources available to me, I went to a great school, and I was very self-motivated. I know right now you're probably all thinking "Well la-de-frickin-da," but hear me out. Aside from all those things, I would say the most important thing I had was an inspiring teacher who took pride in my work. I basically thrived off of their positive comments on my papers and assignments. I could feel myself glow when I read their positive (or in my high school mind, ecstatic) marginal comments on quotes I used or pieces of analysis I wrote which I had spent so much time on. It felt great that someone who I looked up to not only recognized my hard work, but praised it.
Now I know that there is also debate on the negativity of positivity: students reliance on teacher comments leads them to write for the teacher, it makes their self-worth hinge on praise, etc. I personally think that is poppycock. Maybe the critics of positivity are right, and there was some blossoming Henry James in class who the world will never know because he was forced to reshape his writer for teacher praise, maybe there was a future Emily Dickinson who never tried something new because she became stuck in the rut of writing that she knew would receive positive marginal comments. Maybe I just happened to write the way my teacher liked, but I don't think so.
Think about what a few positive comments for a struggling student. Lately I've been grading piles of what my co-op calls bookmarks for her freshman English class. Some kids do great, so kids not so great (who would've thought, variety in a classroom). Think about how disheartening it is for a kid in that class who tries hard to improve, but keeps getting back bookmarks covered in "-1"s and "5/9"s. I know if I was that kid, after a while I might get tired of trying, and that's the last thing we as future teachers want our kids to feel.
Now imagine that same kid who, although they might not be getting the grade they want, gets positive comments about their good sentences, use of new vocabulary, or hints on ways to improve their analysis. Yea getting a bad grade still stinks, but at least the student now knows that the teacher is invested in their improvement, and, more importantly, notices their strengths I saw on Chandra's blog this week, and it's also come up in other's blogs, a discussion on motivation. I think one way to keep students motivated, especially ones who we might see as withdrawn, is to keep giving them praise. And not just any praise, but explanatory praise! Not just "Good Job Sara!," but "Sara, good job on your attention to characters! I like how you explain them in such detail!" Now a student know that they've done something praiseworthy, and can put a name to that skill which you've recognized as a strength hat they possess. Sometimes kids even use rhetorical techniques that they're not aware of such as creating a metaphor or playing with syntax. Tell them they're doing that! And the weird thing about praising students, is that in the end it makes you feel pretty great about being a teacher too :-)
Friday, October 7, 2011
West High Partnership!
Although the later exchanges between me and my partner had some technical glitches, overall I loved our exchanged! I was really surprised with how open my student was with me. In the beginning exchanges I realized we had some similar interests so it was nice to be able to relate to him, which I think is what helped him be more open in sharing with me.
My exchange experience reminded me of some of the time I spent as a youth group leader. What I liked about this youth group was that it was about getting to know the whole student, rather than just focusing on their religion (although that was a focal point no doubt). But what I remember is the first time a kid wanted to talk with me outside of the sanctioned time for youth group (no worries everyone! this was something we were supposed to do as being leaders as we got to know the students better). I started off by just asking about how their week was going, but after about 15minutes they were telling me about their family life and issues with their familial relationships. I felt so honored that they felt comfortable enough to talk with me about only knowing me for a few weeks!
I know I'm just supposed to talk about the West exchange, but I got that same feeling I had when I talked with the kid from youth group when my partner sent me their autobiography about a really traumatic event in his life. Maybe it was because he didn't think I was going to judge him, or he had enough distance from me where any potential criticisms I had wouldn’t affect him as much, but whatever the reason he opened up that part of his life to me. One of the things that made me really excited was the change in the title of his autobiography.
The name of the attachment of the first draft he sent me was “autobiography crap.” I knew from our previous exchanges that he wasn’t one to do “crap” work, at least not in English which said was his favorite subject. After I sent back my comments on his first draft, the next time he sent me his autobiography the attachment read: “Revised AutoBio.” He told me he expanded on some parts which I had suggested and that my comments really helped him improve his essay. I think the seriousness with which I commented on his first draft (serious as per the gravity of the content, not as in mean or demeaning) made him take pride in his work, versus calling it “crap,” or thinking that it wouldn’t be good enough based on whatever standards he envisioned me to have. Maybe I’m just tooting my own horn, but I feel like the comments I made help him become a more confident writer. I only hope that I can do that when I am a teacher.
My exchange experience reminded me of some of the time I spent as a youth group leader. What I liked about this youth group was that it was about getting to know the whole student, rather than just focusing on their religion (although that was a focal point no doubt). But what I remember is the first time a kid wanted to talk with me outside of the sanctioned time for youth group (no worries everyone! this was something we were supposed to do as being leaders as we got to know the students better). I started off by just asking about how their week was going, but after about 15minutes they were telling me about their family life and issues with their familial relationships. I felt so honored that they felt comfortable enough to talk with me about only knowing me for a few weeks!
I know I'm just supposed to talk about the West exchange, but I got that same feeling I had when I talked with the kid from youth group when my partner sent me their autobiography about a really traumatic event in his life. Maybe it was because he didn't think I was going to judge him, or he had enough distance from me where any potential criticisms I had wouldn’t affect him as much, but whatever the reason he opened up that part of his life to me. One of the things that made me really excited was the change in the title of his autobiography.
The name of the attachment of the first draft he sent me was “autobiography crap.” I knew from our previous exchanges that he wasn’t one to do “crap” work, at least not in English which said was his favorite subject. After I sent back my comments on his first draft, the next time he sent me his autobiography the attachment read: “Revised AutoBio.” He told me he expanded on some parts which I had suggested and that my comments really helped him improve his essay. I think the seriousness with which I commented on his first draft (serious as per the gravity of the content, not as in mean or demeaning) made him take pride in his work, versus calling it “crap,” or thinking that it wouldn’t be good enough based on whatever standards he envisioned me to have. Maybe I’m just tooting my own horn, but I feel like the comments I made help him become a more confident writer. I only hope that I can do that when I am a teacher.
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Parent Blockade
So I've started, and re-started this blog for the third time now. You would think, after having my first week of practicum, I would have boatloads of stories to share with you. However, I don't know if I'm yet able to describe my practicum well enough for the rest of the blogosphere to understand. It would probably amount to a bunch of cliches and sentence after sentence ending in exclaimation points. However, between practicum classes and other education classes I have realized that there is someone in particular in the educational system that I have a huge beef with: the parent.
No, this is not a blog does not stem from a fight I had with my mom over the mailing of my cardigans (although the happened to some extent). What it IS, is a frustration about the gaps between the parents desires for thier children, reality, and the effort they themselves are willing to put forth for thier child's education.
What the Parent wants: their children to be well-educated so that they are able succeed in school and move on to post-secondary education and prosper in whatever future career they chose. At a minimun they should be performing on par with the majority of thier peers. If there is any new technology or teaching method on the market thier child should have it, or at least have access to it.
Unfortuneatly, the reality is that a lot of school districts don't have the money to impliment new technologies, or the time to teach their teachers how to use them properly. Some schools don't even have money to buy thier students new, or at least up-to-date text books (then teachers are yelled at about how they are not doing a good job).
Aside from budget concerns, the thing that bothers me the most is the parents attitude towards school. It is hard for us as teachers to make a kid who doesn't want to read, read. Yes we can tell and show them how important literature is, even punish them with a bad grade if we think they are not understanding the importance of turning in homework. However, if the child goes home at the end of the day and is given the hint that literature written a hundred years ago by some dead dude isn't of any importance, how are we supposed to combat that?
Maybe this just sounds like hopeless ranting, and maybe I'm just trying to hard to get something down on my cyberpad, but how are we supposed to counterbalance the attitude or a child's family, or possibly thier community? How can we hope to educate the student, if the moment they enter thier living room all our work is labeled as "unnecessary?"
No, this is not a blog does not stem from a fight I had with my mom over the mailing of my cardigans (although the happened to some extent). What it IS, is a frustration about the gaps between the parents desires for thier children, reality, and the effort they themselves are willing to put forth for thier child's education.
What the Parent wants: their children to be well-educated so that they are able succeed in school and move on to post-secondary education and prosper in whatever future career they chose. At a minimun they should be performing on par with the majority of thier peers. If there is any new technology or teaching method on the market thier child should have it, or at least have access to it.
Unfortuneatly, the reality is that a lot of school districts don't have the money to impliment new technologies, or the time to teach their teachers how to use them properly. Some schools don't even have money to buy thier students new, or at least up-to-date text books (then teachers are yelled at about how they are not doing a good job).
Aside from budget concerns, the thing that bothers me the most is the parents attitude towards school. It is hard for us as teachers to make a kid who doesn't want to read, read. Yes we can tell and show them how important literature is, even punish them with a bad grade if we think they are not understanding the importance of turning in homework. However, if the child goes home at the end of the day and is given the hint that literature written a hundred years ago by some dead dude isn't of any importance, how are we supposed to combat that?
Maybe this just sounds like hopeless ranting, and maybe I'm just trying to hard to get something down on my cyberpad, but how are we supposed to counterbalance the attitude or a child's family, or possibly thier community? How can we hope to educate the student, if the moment they enter thier living room all our work is labeled as "unnecessary?"
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