Posted on July 7, 2020
As I was reviewing the work tractor, I realized that I did not blog about my final project. The digital immigrant in me...heard free write and went straight for the paper and pen. I believe relationships are the building blocks for all learning. Fostering relationships and lifting all my students up is the classroom culture I strive for. For the most part, I cultivate relationships with my students....some are harder to connect with than others. Having twenty-six students, plus having 5-6 extra split students daily tends to present as an obstacle. How can I do a better job at developing relationships with ALL students? How can all students make a connection with me and the other students in class. I believe, establishing the connection leads to building them up. My WHY? Help students feel safe in our classroom community, take risks, and embrace the notion that it is okay to if at first you do not succeed....you pick yourself up and try again. From discovering who my students are and hearing their stories, I can see them. I want them to know I see them.
This all stems from a student who was in my fifth grade ESL Sheltered class this school year. I was told prior to the first day of school, he was a "behavior issue." I tell my students that it is a new year, and we begin with a clean slate. We worked on building relationships and students discovered that they could trust me. Upon one-on-one assessment, I discovered that this student could barely read words at the Kindergarten level. As he was trying to read the words to me, his eyes filled up and he told me he can not read. My heart broke for him. I became curious to learn more about his educational history. I learned that he has been at my school since Kindergarten! WHAT!!! He was never referred to TST? I believe that he learned to be a "behavior" problem to deflect that he could not read and understand. There is no doubt about it, he gave teachers a "run for their money." Whenever he wasn't in my class, he was sent to the office. Especially, in P.E. and Health. It had become crystal clear to me that the P.E/Health teacher did not take the time to learn or care about this student. Unfortunately, I do not think anyone took the time to know him or believe in him. Needless to say, I referred him. We all know how long the referral process takes; however, in the meantime, he received intervention. When mom came in for the meeting, she cried and said thank you for caring about my son. The last day of virtual class, his mom said please keep my number so we can stay in touch with you....my son loves you. That is my WHY!
I want students to tell me their story through their experiences and culture.
I can't wait to see how this all comes together in your project. Beautiful story. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete