when we listen...
i know there's a fine line that will continue to exist between being a responsive teacher and maintaining concrete expectations in preparation for "the real world." this has been something that has been brought up to me with regards to my classroom management and i feel like im seeing a similar tension when it comes to work deadline. i guess my theory is this...i have high expectations of my students and there are clear consequences to choices that my students make. but my role in their life aside from transferring content is also providing life skills to respond to situations so that they can become advocates for themselves. so if a student displays foresight of knowing their current mood and asks for a few minutes in the hallway to cool down before coming into the classroom, i am absolutely going to allow for it. and probably check in with them. if the volume of a student is getting louder than necessary, i am going to check in with them and ask them to check themselves, ask whether they recognize their current volume and the impact it might have...rather than jump to hollerin' or sending them out. because of the relationships i have established with my kids, i can do this without interrupting the flow of class and in a manner that conveys firm expectation with a dash of loving concern.
i feel like it is similar for their work. should their be done when ive set it to be? absolutely. are there circumstances that rise? yes. are they sometimes out of their control? absolutely. do i let them get a pass? absolutely not. they are not exempt from the work. but we control what we can. so can there be ways to work around things? i believe so. and i am also speaking mainly of situations where students seek me out, inform me of the situation, etc. though i will admit, this is not something that my students came to me knowing how to do, that is communicating in a manner that is productive, respectful, and clear. i have worked on this with my students since the beginning of the school year. both for in person verbal communication and with email written communication. do students take advantage of this fact that if they speak with ms. wang about an assigment that she might provide some supports? ive never experienced that.
so why is that? i honestly think its just because they feel like they are being listened to and respected and so why would they take advantage of something they yearn? if its in place, they know its there and will be there as needed.
prior to break was the disintegration of my kids with all the pressures pouring onto them. i heard from a few of my kids over break and most were working and getting refreshed... as my class entered in today, i checked in with a few about their research collection for their inquiry projects we are currently working on. a handful of students did not complete this; some did not do it at all.
naturally my response could have been: they get zeros then. they had 2 entire weeks. that was their choice. but then there was internet issues, home issues, etc. possibly excuses, possibly truth. i was thinking back to before break...
so my instructional decision was to acknowledge where we were at with research collection, celebrate those who did some amazing work, explain that the expectation was to get the work done by today because we need it for the writing work tomorrow, and then provide the option of continuing/completing research during independent work time which would still reap consequences.
the response? we were 100% on task; as with IW time, we were at different places, most students were sifting through research before entering into independent reading, while another handful were researching. students were productive. in conversation at the end of class with one of my students was affirming in an uncanny way...
ID said, "Ms. Wang, I'm gonna stay on track. I promise. I just...got a little off. But thanks for listenin' to us."
"ID, what do you mean? What'd I do?"
"Remember, before break. We said school was too much. And you said you see and try to help us by supportin us. You know? Only when you see we need to. Ok. Bye."
I guess what she said was true. I had listened which was why I made that decision. I just didn’t think they connected that always. And maybe that is them recognizing their voice in the whole scheme of things…
i feel like it is similar for their work. should their be done when ive set it to be? absolutely. are there circumstances that rise? yes. are they sometimes out of their control? absolutely. do i let them get a pass? absolutely not. they are not exempt from the work. but we control what we can. so can there be ways to work around things? i believe so. and i am also speaking mainly of situations where students seek me out, inform me of the situation, etc. though i will admit, this is not something that my students came to me knowing how to do, that is communicating in a manner that is productive, respectful, and clear. i have worked on this with my students since the beginning of the school year. both for in person verbal communication and with email written communication. do students take advantage of this fact that if they speak with ms. wang about an assigment that she might provide some supports? ive never experienced that.
so why is that? i honestly think its just because they feel like they are being listened to and respected and so why would they take advantage of something they yearn? if its in place, they know its there and will be there as needed.
prior to break was the disintegration of my kids with all the pressures pouring onto them. i heard from a few of my kids over break and most were working and getting refreshed... as my class entered in today, i checked in with a few about their research collection for their inquiry projects we are currently working on. a handful of students did not complete this; some did not do it at all.
naturally my response could have been: they get zeros then. they had 2 entire weeks. that was their choice. but then there was internet issues, home issues, etc. possibly excuses, possibly truth. i was thinking back to before break...
so my instructional decision was to acknowledge where we were at with research collection, celebrate those who did some amazing work, explain that the expectation was to get the work done by today because we need it for the writing work tomorrow, and then provide the option of continuing/completing research during independent work time which would still reap consequences.
the response? we were 100% on task; as with IW time, we were at different places, most students were sifting through research before entering into independent reading, while another handful were researching. students were productive. in conversation at the end of class with one of my students was affirming in an uncanny way...
ID said, "Ms. Wang, I'm gonna stay on track. I promise. I just...got a little off. But thanks for listenin' to us."
"ID, what do you mean? What'd I do?"
"Remember, before break. We said school was too much. And you said you see and try to help us by supportin us. You know? Only when you see we need to. Ok. Bye."
I guess what she said was true. I had listened which was why I made that decision. I just didn’t think they connected that always. And maybe that is them recognizing their voice in the whole scheme of things…
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