1) I find it easy to like kids who enjoy being at school and who do the work. I enjoy the kids who do the work and are actually interested. It is easy to like the kids who don't ask a lot of questions that don't really go with the subject.
2) I find it hard to like kids who think that they know it all and think they can control the classroom. It bothers me when kids try to get the teacher off topic. My biggest pet peeve is people who think they know it all and are never wrong no matter what you say. The kid who will try to argue everything you say. It is just a waste of time to me.
3) I feel sorry for the kids who live in broken homes or have alcoholic parents. I have coached some of the best kids who have parents who are just plain alcoholics. I feel bad for the student who has parents that push them into things that they don't want to do. I believe you should guide your student to make the right decisions but not force them too.
4) I feel threatened by the kids who I am closest with because I feel that I don't want to cheat them out of a great education. I feel that those are the kids who I want to do my best for them. I want them to learn as much as possible from me. I also feel threatened by students who have a lot of money and think that they can do anything they want.
5) I can identify with those kids who work hard and earn everything that they work for. I have always had to work for what I got in my life through school. I believe you have to work hard to get what you want and it shouldn't be handed to you. These are the type of kids I would like to be around all day.
6) I would gravitate towards kids who are involved in school. Those kids who are in leadership or athletics. Since I will be a coach I will gravitate towards the athletes that I coach. It is that simple. I will try to connect with all of the kids in my classes but it may be impossible at times.
7) I feel inadequate around kids who are really smart. These kids may know more then me and try to show off in the classroom. I will probably just agree with them and continue my class so that I don't argue with the kid.
8) I Probably won't notice the kids who don't say much or just don't do the work or come to class. It is hard for me to care for a kid if they don't attend my class. It will be difficult for me to remember then if they don't ever come. I have a great memory so I feel that I will be able to remember or notice most of my students.
I can appreciate your difficulty with students who have challenging family issues. Challenging to you as the teacher to really know how it might be influencing students' performance and then what you can do about it if it is. Important to be aware of these kinds of biases we have as teachers, whether they are biases for or against students.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher it will be so easy to gravitate towards students that have our same interests and that ones we know well. You were so right when you said that "it is that simple." It is just bound to happen. I am glad you plan on trying to connect with as many students as possible.
ReplyDeleteChad I think I said almost the same thing or a lot of the same meanings that you said. And yes we must try to connect into the different groups of students that differ from ourselves. I am still trying to figure out how to talk to the students that I have nothing in common with but I still need to find some common group.
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