New Teacher Support & Development
Empowering and Motivating Every Student, Every Day!
THE FACES OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
This week, I visited several classrooms; and from them, I would like to share three scenarios - no names, no pictures - just teachers doing the work to make a difference.
This morning, I witnessed the way the teacher unwrapped the learning objective (LO) full of grade-level academic language. She read the LO; then, the students read the LO aloud. Following, she inquired, "What questions do you have?" I relished the fact that she did not ask if they had questions. Questions a-plenty they did have. By the end of the conversation, the teacher had fully annotated the LO with meanings and numerals and color-coding to deconstruct the LO for students to understand. It was art!
Once a year, I confess crying in a classroom! Today, watching a teacher with her students with special needs made me cry! Oh, how many times did I hear her praise a student for doing well in math and then see a "high-five!" That student raised her arms (like the touchdown signal) to celebrate her success. Another student needed a change. The teacher using her teacher-voice called him to her and guided him to her. While he remained a bit restless, she offered him choices: to sit at the table on either side of her. "Okay, you want to sit on Teacher's lap?" For me more than what appeared, I saw the teacher being firm to affect the redirection yet gentle to meet the student's need. It worked; the student calmed. So, why my tears? The teacher attended to the student's humanity in that moment. I thought about how we metaphorically touch students' lives; but sometimes, students just might need a human touch: a pat on the back, a handshake, a fist-pump, a high-five, or just a human. I recalled a less-than-scholarly-student at Gonzales High who learned that I enjoyed watching WWF professional wrestling - Hulk Hogan, Macho-Man Randy Savage, The Medics. To him, I became a real person; he became a scholar.
Modeling with a teacher, we led a discussion with the class who needed redirection. I modeled the "quiet hand" attention signal. It worked! I engaged the students in responding to metacognitive questions for considering their purpose. Their responses - being responsible, being a leader, maturing, being a role model - revealed different traits than did their behavior. The teacher wrote these words on the board so that students could see their own purposes. Following the discussion, students wrote their commitments to match their behaviors with their purpose. To end the conversation, by random-calling and a couple of volunteers, students Stood-and-Delivered their commitments.
I appreciate these teachers for living several ways to make a difference in students' lives,
to empower and motivate every student, every day!
Unlocking the Future, Today!
John Ekelund
Unlocking the Future Today!