Northwest
Elementary
St. Petersburg, Florida
Current
Teaching Assignment: Teacher
of students with Emotional Handicaps, grades 1-3
Past teacher of preschool students with multiple handicaps, ages 2-4
“Bring me all of your
Heart melodies…”1
Teach reading? It is the beginning of the school year. Look at my class. Demanding, yelling, crying. Stealing, teasing, stomping. Threatening, fighting, swearing. I read aloud, “I can’t” said the ant2. The ants’ mission…save the teapot.
We are not ants, we are Black, White, Other, girls, boys. Can we work together cooperatively? With some coaxing and clarifying, we decide to work together, as teacher and students. Our mission is to learn.
I read aloud, Dr. DeSoto3. We discuss ideas and predict. Will the cunning, newly gold-toothed fox eat the “tasty morsel”, good-hearted, mouse-dentist Dr. DeSoto? With accelerated heart beats, we discuss ideas, and read to find out.
I read aloud, A Dog of My Own4. Ben accepts the stray dog just as he is. Our hearts swell as we begin to accept each other.
We read together, Chicken Soup with Rice5. Our hearts beat in sync to the poetic beat.
We read. “As soon as Fred gets out of bed, his underwear goes on his head.”6 We laugh, heart to heart.
We read “Rope Rhyme”7. We jump. Hearts thump.
Together, we sing the words “See me beautiful…”8 We sing our hearts out.
Reading is the heart to building our community.
My students work in large and small groups, individually or cooperatively, instructing and learning together. We work on skills, according to diverse needs; alphabet recognition, reading fluency, writing text based answers to inferential questions.
Now we can read and reflect. Students read books silently and aloud. They read assigned books and self-selected books. We partner read, echo read, choral read. We read books, charts, magazines, newspapers, notes, letters, poems, jokes, math problems, songs, schedules. We read about snakes, stars, Harriet Tubman, and the human body. We read to each other, to family, to the principal, to friends, to other teachers, to other classes. And we write. We write message books, reflection journals, word of the day, letters, stories, answers.
The students discover the reading–writing connection. During writers’ workshop, we read, reflect, and discuss leads, specific words, details, focus. Students write independently. Young authors share writing-in-progress and enthusiastic listeners give heartfelt compliments.
We graph academic and behavioral progress. We celebrate. Students write. “I got a 17 on my reading test.” “My behavior has improved.” “The hamster chewed a hole in his cage.” “Thank you for helping me in reading.” Sometimes, spelling is immature but sentiments are strong. Our hearts are proud.
Do I just teach reading? Look at my class now. Reading, writing, illustrating, problem solving. Listening, sharing, cooperating. Thinking, whispering, smiling. With literature, we see our own hearts more clearly and understand the hearts of others. We develop rapport, trust, and respect. Daily, I share my heart through reading and teaching reading, to my primary class of children with emotional handicaps. With guidance, my students demonstrate academic and behavioral progress. They develop responsibility for their learning. We are a community of learners with a mission to learn. My students reflect what we know. Learning to read is at the heart of everything we do.
I once had a student interrupt our small, instructional reading group to tell us his grandmother was “doing it again” and he was afraid. Doing what? Smoking crack and the last time, she caught the apartment on fire. Another first grader walked over to a reading group to report an incident of abuse involving her and her father. Teachers must follow up with authorities in situations such as these. But, what prompts a child to tell these important details to a teacher, and in these two cases, during reading? Reading is a quiet, reflective activity. It involves risk, attention, hard work. When we model, and demonstrate to children that we believe they are capable of reflection, attention, risk, hard work and success, they often rise to our expectations. Telling scary and difficult truths about one’s family certainly takes courage and strength. So does learning to read, when we think we will fail.
Although I teach primary students, grades one, through three, my students have already experienced failure. They have failed to successfully adapt to the standard school environment. Some feel they have failed at home. For various reasons, their families have not provided the role models or support needed. Caregivers may be parents, grandparents, foster parents, single parents, aunts or combinations of authority figures who may be medically fragile, in jail, working long hours, overwhelmed by responsibilities, addicted to drugs or alcohol, depressed, abusive, seldom but sometimes uncaring, afraid of their child, or many times, just unsure of their parenting skills with this exceptional child. Regardless of their home life, I must teach and ensure my students’ learning. Although, I discuss reading as the way to my students’ hearts, I believe all good teaching will enable children to become better people. I cannot fix what has happened to my children in the past but I can point the way to a better future. Learning is hard work, and the responsibility ultimately rests upon the learner. Imagine, a Nike ad with high school students being assigned an ambitious and involved term paper, students sighing, then running to the library, in their Nike shoes with the motto “just do it!”
Every experienced teacher knows; teach what students need, acknowledge and use their strengths, and develop, diversify and amplify their individual dreams. While this seems simple, factors exist to distract students and teachers from their goals. Many states and districts want the bottom line of a good education to be a standard score. District test scores may be helpful to determine trends and effectiveness of programs. However, high stakes testing, testing that labels schools, teachers, and students as a success or failure, neglects important factors. Communities should ask, is the testing developmentally appropriate for the children? In addition, should there not be consideration for what the student can do outside of test scores, or on a different day, and how far the student traveled academically? Teachers understand this distinction because they see real people in their classroom, not test numbers. Do we want all our students to read? Yes. Are there things as, or more, important than test scores? Yes. Honesty, loyalty, patriotism, reflective thinking, building, sharing, imagining, dedication, music, art, citizenship, goodness…As teachers, we have the ability to reach out to a child’s whole being as we teach any subject area.
Legislators sometimes offer another distraction to education. Every important thing that a child needs to learn may be mandated by the legislature to be taught by teachers, often with no money or resources attached. If instead, we can focus on teaching primary children to read, write, and problem solve, we have laid the foundation for each child to contribute to their own learning, by reading and discovering on their own how to advance their knowledge, and by practicing good decision making.
I believe that teachers can and do change lives every day. Teachers provide hope and the means to achieve goals. However, we could achieve even more if we weren’t constantly protecting ourselves. We must fight for a decent salary. We are told that we should work and work overtime “for the kids”. Most teachers I know spend a large portion of their own money to provide materials for their class. In my classroom, I spend money on snacks, incentives, items to enhance the curriculum, sometimes field trips, shoe laces, and lunches. As my own children were growing up, they would ask, can we have that or is it for school? Every teacher’s child recognizes that question. Teachers work at school, after school, and on weekends. We go to trainings, meetings, home visits. We grade papers, call parents, counsel families. Every teacher’s spouse recognizes that time commitment. Yet our own president has as his goal to put a “qualified teacher” in every classroom. I suggest that we have qualified teachers. Let teachers teach, be paid reasonably, and let classrooms be fully funded.
Research says that the classroom teacher is the best predictor of whether or not a child needs extra learning services. However, ignoring research, teachers are mandated to document each plan that we have tried with the child before the child can receive services and then we produce so much paperwork that we need to hire staffing specialists to keep up with it. I am told that even taking attendance produces a legal document. Teachers are overburdened with paperwork that takes away from their real job, planning and teaching.
Students, also, can be distracted from the task of learning. Children are used to things happening quickly. They go to fast food restaurants, access the high speed internet, and turn the TV channel without getting up. Sometimes children are shocked that academic learning can be slow, require effort, and demand practice. Some children and families label this process as “boring”. I point out to my students that basketball practice can be boring but most of us don’t improve without that practice. Once we accept the practice as necessary, we invest our time and energy, become “experts” and have fun. I remind parents that if the child is required to read, the child will read and soon, the expert reader loves to read.
We are all distracted by violence around us; sometimes at home, on TV, in our communities, at the movies, in the world news, and even at school. Children with no role models or negative role models often gravitate towards a lifestyle with firm limits. Gangs have strong guidelines for behavior. Acting out and aggression seem unambiguous. Threatening behavior may mean that people will leave you alone or even do as you demand. Weaknesses can be disguised as strength. Children without role models watch violence on TV to learn social behavior. As a balance, schools must provide children a place to appreciate culture, empathy, diversity, peace and tolerance. Schools need to be strong, clearly non-violent, and have the authority of the community to model, teach, and expect respect. We must reduce the violent distractions.
Today in my classroom, Kevin read a book. It was hard work and he resisted it. After he finished, I suggested we read it together. Before the last page was done, he was laughing and smiling. He asked to read it again. He stated “I am really smart!” He asked to read a new book. After he decoded it, he read it again. “I may be smarter than the president. I bet it is because I’m practicing. It’s hard to read if you don’t practice. Maybe it’s the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I’ve been eating for lunch. The blood is going to my brain, from my heart, and then around again!” We read another book. Kevin exclaimed, “I might even be smarter than a teacher!”
Just like Kevin I believe children learn what they
practice. Every age has
developmentally appropriate behaviors, challenges, and expectations. No matter the age, we should expect and encourage children to
practice good behavior. Specifically, children need a chance to learn to express
anger, frustration, and boredom in a safe and acceptable manner.
Like Kevin, I believe children need good nutrition to focus on learning.
We must continue to provide programs for needy children and families.
Like Kevin, I believe any of the children in my class may one day be the
president or even a teacher. And
like Kevin, I truly believe that the heart and the brain do their best work when
connected.
1“The Dream Keeper”
by Langston Hughes
2“I can’t” said the ant by Polly Cameron
3Dr. DeSoto by William Steig
4Chicken Soup for Little Souls, A Dog of my Own by Lisa
McCourt
5Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
6“Fred” by Jack Prelutsky
7“Rope Rhyme” by Eloise Greenfield
8“See Me Beautiful” by Red Grammer
Many first and second grade students can and do think about God, morality and ethics. They are more likely to discuss these ideas in simple terms such as good and bad. They already have developed a strong feeling for fairness. Of course, they don’t always act on what they know to be best. I had the opportunity to watch a videotaped lesson with a wonderful first grade teacher and her wonderful students. With the teacher’s guidance, a lively discussion took place, with many children contributing, about respect. The ensuing assignment was to cut out pictures of people being respectful, from magazines, and paste them in a booklet. The children worked in small groups, sharing ideas, materials, and the book. At least, that was the idea. The video camera zoomed in on a small group of students who had contributed strong ideas about sharing. The teacher had teamed these “leaders”. They forgot to respect each others’ ideas and let one very determined and intelligent young lady determine every picture to be put in the book. She also cut and pasted every picture. Of the group of four, one other student continued to the end to try and participate but the stronger child took over every time. The teacher was shocked but enlightened by the video. She reflected and developed another lesson to help the students extend their thinking and practice again. Children need to practice what they seem to know in the abstract.
I believe that young children
are very interested in the world and the way it works.
They want to know about good and evil.
They want to know why people fight, how to be safe and why their animals
die. Not every child has the
language or the experience to express their ideas in a grownup way.
My students have very lively discussions about their beliefs, whether it
is about God, Santa, or the tooth fairy. Even
more importantly they can extend their thinking and listen to each other.
Often the most direct way to solve a conflict in the classroom is to ask
the involved students to think about others’ feelings.
I absolutely believe that children can be encouraged to practice appropriate behavior in every classroom. I believe that groups of children can develop rules and guidelines for behavior that emphasize kindness, respect, and honesty. I also believe that students need adult guidance to do this efficiently, especially if that guidance is absent from the home. Every year I ask my children to develop ground rules for our classroom. We discuss why we are at school (to learn) and what we need from each other in order to learn. Invariably my primary children want to be treated fairly by others, expect to be respectful of others and know that fighting and name calling is wrong. By thinking about behavior and feelings, children begin to develop a moral code that is often reflected in the idea of treating each other the way that we want to be treated.
The boy in the reading was a “moral witness” to his own life. He was watching others and comparing his life to theirs. He understood that every person has to take risks, sometimes uncomfortable risks, in terms of living a good life. He was thinking about his own morality. He had enough insight to realize mistakes can be made which can test goodness and morality. People do not usually encompass all goodness, or all evil. It may be necessary to stand up for an unpopular belief by yourself. It may be by aligning yourself with a person or group; you discover you have been unwittingly supporting negative ideas or practices. Being a moral witness means that we must continually watch ourselves for the highest moral and ethical behavior. Unfortunately, many of us have heard a teacher in the lounge tell a racist joke. We must have the moral fortitude to speak up and stand against that kind of humor. I know a teacher who works in a school where the principle has declared all lunches are to be silent in the cafeteria because it is “easier” to supervise the children that way. This teacher has raised her voice in opposition to this practice because she feels (and I agree) that this is unethical, and not in the students best interest.
Courage means that you do the right thing, even when it is difficult, uncomfortable, or you are scared. A few years ago, I had a young lady in my classroom who was a Jehovah’s Witness. She was the only child who did not salute the flag. She was the only child who did not celebrate holidays and birthdays. She stood up for her beliefs even though they were different from the others. Of course, as her teacher, I would never require her to be alone. She and I had private discussions to find what was comfortable for her. With her permission, and her parents, we had an open discussion about her beliefs and other beliefs in the class. We decided as a class, not to celebrate holidays and birthdays, that year, together. We also decided to continue to salute the flag, with one exception. This year, I have a Middle Eastern child in my class. After the disaster of 9/11, I thought he might need some courage at school in various situations. His mother and I discussed our heightened sense of concern. So far, he has not encountered any negative situations at school. More commonly, my students need to be brave when reporting negative and hurtful behavior that involves a friend. It is not easy to report your friend when you have difficulty making friends. One young man in my class has shown courage by refusing to participate in ganging up on another child, with name calling, even though it cost him the friendship of a popular student. While, I think ultimately, this action will feel good; it was, at the time, hurtful and required courage of child who moved his desk away from his former, name-calling, friend.
The accepted practice in my room, in a large group discussion, is to raise hands but as that 4th grade teacher observed, sometimes a “flurry” of spontaneous discussion will erupt. There are times when this discussion is far field from my original lesson, but obviously a teachable moment in the class. Recently, while reading the original Pinocchio in my class, discussion was animated when Pinocchio got his feet burned off. Once the students remembered he was wooden and the carpenter could make more feet, their attention moved to Pinocchio’s responsibility in this situation and the responsibility of his parent to bail him out of trouble yet again. The general consensus, after much clarification of viewpoints, was that his father would save him, should save him, but Pinocchio was really not yet ready to learn his life lesson. This seemed to represent all children to me. Children need practice in doing the right thing and parents and teachers will love us through the trials, and help us try, hopefully more successfully, again.
“The good person is the alert witness not only of others, but to his or her own ethical tensions as they flash their various signals, warn of conflicts ahead or ambiguities not so easy to resolve, or of mixed feelings and temptations and the rationalizations that justify them.” A good person doesn’t just behave well. A good person reflects upon the right decision and the honorable response. As a public school teacher, I have children in my classroom from a wide variety of social, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. This is an invaluable opportunity for young children to learn to value different perspectives, ideas, and practices. As the teacher I model respect for all, encourage dialogue and directly teach reflective practices in dealing with day to day issues. One of my students visited Egypt to see his relatives. We studied Egypt and talked about the trip in class. Another one of my students read a poem in English and then in Spanish at our reading festival. The class is aware that we can celebrate our differences. Respect for all leads to reflection about ambiguities, conflicts, our own feelings, and our moral responsibilities in unique situations.
As the teacher, I am responsible for all my students, even the student who is disruptive. Specifics about what to do will vary according to the classroom culture, age of students, and teacher personality. However, my job is to ensure a climate of learning. It is discussed and understood in my classroom that disruption of the learning process is not allowed. Of course, there are disruptions at times and I follow through with the class plan, which calls for the disruption to stop or the student who is disruptive to move to another spot or leave the room. This student is welcome back as soon as he/she is ready to behave as a learner. All of my students can request to move to a different spot or even another classroom, without question, should they feel the need to move away from someone. I encourage my students to problem solve on their own but if a child needs assistance with someone who is disruptive, I will help. Some teachers worry that if I allow students to “cool off” away from a problem, certain children will use this opportunity to avoid work. This seldom happens. Most children want to be in the room, actively learning. And if a specific student seems to be using this opportunity to avoid work, I develop a plan with that child to limit the “cool off” time.
I am the proud mother of three terrific young adults. My boys were teenagers just a few years ago. The twins, now in college, were “peer mediators” in their high school. This is a school sanctioned program to train high school students to help other high school students resolve their differences peacefully. My twins both took the training and were called several times to mediate problems. Not only did they gain insight into the nature of conflict resolution with others, it helped them gain insight into their own relationships. All three of the boys played sports. Playing sports focused them and helped them develop friends. My oldest son became a lifeguard while still in high school. He was responsible for saving a child’s life at the pool. Teenagers are capable of responsibility and reasoned decisions, and teenagers are still children and continue to need guidance. As caretakers and parents we need to help them practice good behavior and moral responsibility. I saw the tremendous positive influence teachers and coaches had on my children. As parents, my husband and I made sure that we continued to communicate with our children through good times and tough. No, I do not think the foundation is giving teens too much credit. I think the foundation is offering teens a chance to practice their best.
Should the project fit my students’ needs, and I am able to garner district, administrative, and parental support, I would be glad to engage my students in a pilot project. As the Multicultural Liaison at my school, it may even be possible to engage the student Multicultural Leadership Council in one of the projects.