!"#$%&'()&*+,%-./'0)12".'3#$%1,4/' 51-.'6"1.%1/'6-1+,%.'7)&*/' 8"."'("9%&' Start Where You Are, But Dont Stay There Chapter 2 Morgan: Mr.

Hall was able to connect with his students through a point of convergence by sharing his experiences of living in poverty with some of his students. How can a teacher bridge differences between themselves and their students if they have not had similar experiences with poverty, racism, or violence growing up? ! Kirsten: The first thing I thought of when I read your question was the crossing borders experiences we did in CI 448 last semester. While Im not sure that actually telling students you visited the jail or the food bank, for example, in order to better understand their lives is appropriate, I think it would at least give you as the teacher a better understanding of what the students may be going through outside of the classroom. You could then use that kind of experience to decide what is equitable in your classroom for each student. Also, later in the chapter the author talks about how Mr. Hall went to the students sporting events and asked them about their extracurricular activities. I think this is another great way to at least show the students that you care about them as people, and not just as students. These experiences arent quite the same as a point of convergence like Mr. Hall was able to make with his students, but I think they are great ways to connect with students on a deeper level when you may not have a direct point of convergence. ! Dana: Kirsten, I agree with the examples you have provided. It can be very beneficial to attend schools extra curricular activities to show your students that you are interested in what they are doing in their lives which shows them that you care for them. Also, by just having quick conversations asking students how their weekends went can make the students feel cared for regardless of differences. Also, if there are cultural differences amongst the students a teacher can embrace these differences while teaching. This can entail the teacher having a unit on different cultures found in their classroom, encouraging students to bring in objects that reflect their culture, and just developing an open and comfortable environment for students regardless of differences. ! Rachel: I agree that taking an interest in students outside of their schoolwork is extremely important. Students need to know that they are cared about in all aspects of life in order to respond well to a teacher trying to improve their lives through school. The assignment for 448 that required us to take a look at the various things in the community that can better connect us with our students was so beneficial. Going outside of our comfort zones to connect with our students is one of the best things we can do for them, in my opinion. I plan to take that assignment and use it in my teaching career each and every year. ! Erin: All of you had great suggestions! I definitely think that this can be a difficult topic to address, if a teacher is having trouble finding commonalities between themselves and

their students. The best way to overcome this is to understand any biases you may have, address them, learn your students and learn yourself at the same time! Kirsten: Mr. Hall believes that it is important to develop relationships with his colleagues and establish a sense of community among the school staff. However, there is also a part in the chapter where the author expresses Mr. Halls refusal to participate in conversations with colleagues who like to discuss students faults. What should a teacher do if she really wants to develop positive relationships with colleagues, but they frequently try to discuss students or teaching in a negative light? ! Dana: Unfortunately, I believe that this will always come with the job. Actually at seminar this past Thursday two first year teachers came in to speak about their experiences and they brought up this same issue. They said that you will come across these teachers that constantly portray their students in a negative light but that you just need to learn to co-exist with these teachers. It is always important to maintain positive relationships with other colleagues so it is important not to be rude to them by refusing to listen to them, but you have the choice not to respond in a negative way. When colleagues mention negative things about students you can simply let these comments go in one ear and out the other and not necessarily have to agree with what they are saying. You can change the topic and try to talk about other topics to develop positive relationships. You will always have those people that you dont agree on everything with and while you do not need to become best friends with these people it is important to be respect and maintain a positive relationship as this can help you co-exist and not create enemies in your work environment. ! Rachel: One thing that I would try is to bring up positive aspects of the students to try to counteract the negative ones. I know that there are many teachers who speak negatively about students and other teachers within the school, and we have to figure out ways to create a positive work atmosphere with those teachers even if we dont agree with their behaviors. Another thing we can do is not spend long amounts of gripe time with these teachers. For instance, dont eat lunch with them, but talking to them in passing is fine. Working with them on collaboration is fine, but dont socialize too much more than necessary. ! Morgan: Obviously, teachers do not always get to decide who they will be collaborating with, but I think that new teachers should avoid building relationships with teachers that have negative opinions about students or about the profession. As teachers, it is very difficult for us to never say a negative thing about a student, but constant negative remarks will only hurt our progress and development as educators. If you have to work with someone who has a bad attitude, I think that I would do as Rachel suggested and bring up the positive qualities of students that the teacher seems to overlook. Maybe your positive remarks will change the teachers perspective, or at least help them get the hint that you dont appreciate their comments.

! Erin: I agree. I think as a new teacher, especially, it may be challenging to find a balance between making new relationships and being social while still maintaining a sense of independence in the work place. At my placement in the Fall, teachers would often complain about their day or their students in the lunch room. I always thought it would be rude of me to eat in my coops classroom but towards the last few weeks during my takeover specifically, I ate alone in the classroom and spent time preparing for lessons or thinking about my day. I had to avoid the negativity because I did not want to be dragged down by it. Rachel: Most of us have experienced disruptive students in our classrooms. We all want to be the good guys, but sometimes we cant. The author wrote about how she never witnessed Mr. Hall kick a student out of the classroom for disruptive behavior. Would you be the same way, giving students multiple chances to shape up and succeed? Do you agree with Mr. Hall that removing them from the classroom is letting them fail? ! Dana: I believe that in some circumstances it is necessary for a student to leave the room in order to calm down and recollect themselves in order to not disrupt or harm others in the classroom. I believe that this type of reset should be only for a couple of minutes and should be right outside the classroom where a teacher can see the student or somewhere in the classroom that a student can take this time to calm down. I dont believe that these students should just be sent off to the principal each time they misbehave because then it shows the student that this teacher does not want to deal with them or care to help that student. Something that Mr. Hall said in the section Just Cant Let Them Fail was very powerful and important to remember regarding disciplining students. He stated, If I holler at you its because I know you can do better. And if I get on you, I know that youre slacking; youre not pulling your weight (pg. 70). Mr. Hall says that he serves as family to many of these students and by disciplining them it shows that he cares for them and wants to see them do better which is important to remember when you think you are being the bad guy. :) ! Kirsten: Dana, I really like that you brought up the point that some students really need that moment away from the classroom to reset and return to the classroom calm and refocused. I definitely dont think students should ever be kicked out of the classroom, but asking the students if they need a moment to reset in the hallway or in a different area of the classroom is, in my opinion, sometimes a really effective way to help a student refocus on the lesson. I also think that turning it into the students choice of resetting in the hallway rather than a teachers demand to leave the room makes it more positive. ! Morgan: I agree with Dana as well. I think that sending a student to the principals office every time they misbehave only gives students incentives to act out in class and power over your classroom. By allowing students to reset and come back into the classroom, you are showing your students that you will not give up on their education and send them packing for small misbehavior. While it may be difficult at first (and students will test

you), staying consistent will promote clear expectations for your students. Students lose so much important class time in the principals office for misbehavior; I think it is more encouraging to keep them in class and show them how acting out will not deter your commitment to their education. ! Rachel: Kirsten, I like that you pointed out that a reset shifts the behavior correction from teacher control to student control. Making students feel like they are in control of their education with the support of their teachers is a great thing. ! Erin: Especially with older students, I feel that being asked to leave class for misbehavior is almost a win-win for the student. Students may begin to dislike class so much that they act up, receive peer attention and are able to leave the class that they dislike. For this reason among many others, I agree with Mr. Hall that excusing a student from class over and over again is allowing them to fail. Working with the student, using resets like others mentioned and spending quality time trying to relate and connect with the student is not allowing them to fail. Dana: In the section on page 69 titled Just Cant Let Them Fail, Mr. Hall talks about how many of his students believe they are going to fail because they are just like their family. Many times we run across this mentality in our students while teaching. These students do not try to succeed because they believe they are bound in the footsteps of their family that have failed and or they feel as though they have no support or reason to succeed in school. How will you approach changing this mentality in your students? ! Morgan: I think that the most important and empowering idea for students is that they (and they alone) have control over their own future. I feel very strongly that college does not determine the educational success of a student and I think that many students in the above scenario would agree. For students who have adopted this self-fulfilling prophecy, it is important for them to see the opportunities that a high school degree could provide for future jobs and careers. An even more appealing thought is that this student could be the first person in their family to do x, y, or z and set the example for younger siblings or cousins. While it might be difficult to convince all students of this importance, I think that if you tell students that you are dedicated to helping them overcome their familys repeated past and that you believe in their capability to do so--they will be more likely to try. ! Kirsten: I think emphasizing that success is different for everyone is one way that we can help these students have a more positive outlook on school. While one student may feel successful when they receive an A on an assignment, another student who worked just as hard may feel the same level of success receiving a C. Additionally, as Morgan pointed out, not everyone has to go to college to be successful, or live a drastically different life than their family members. We need to help our students figure out what career, or even just subject, that they are interested in, and we need to help foster that interest into a passion that pushes the students to their version of success and a desire to

succeed. Constant encouragement along the way is also important, and making sure to highlight the students strengths will hopefully help them see that they can be successful. We need to be that support system for the students, and we need to help them learn to believe in themselves like we believe in them. ! Erin: I definitely think that success can mean a different thing to each student. This is when getting to know your students is crucial! By finding out their passions, strengths, and goals, it will be easier to discover what the student deems as being successful. Then, as the teacher, it is your job to enable them succeed in their own way. Erin: Mr. Hall realized that in some cases, he would have to go beyond the walls of the classroom before he could connect with a student in the classroom (p.67). Is there a time where you can relate to Mr. Halls realization? Describe it and how it strengthened the relationship with that particular student and if their success in the classroom changed at all. ! Dana: I believe that going beyond the walls of the classroom means not only teaching student academic content but also how to behave and be successful outside of school and holding students responsible for these actions. By disciplining students Mr. Hall is showing these students that he cares for them and expects more out of them in their behavior and academics. Going beyond the walls of the classroom can also mean just getting to know your students and developing a relationship with them to show them that you care for them. I can relate to this point when I was teaching this semester. One student is particularly shy so one day I simply asked her how her weekend went and if she did anything fun. She told me about her gymnastic competition and how she had an upcoming competition this weekend. The following week I asked her how her gymnastic competition went and she was almost shocked that I remembered and cared enough to ask her about it. Now I notice this student more comfortable raising her hand to ask me questions and is more open to share her interests with me. I am not sure if this is exactly why she is becoming more open and comfortable but this conversation definitely marked the beginning to help strengthen my relationship with that student! ! Kirsten: I hadnt really thought about this idea within the context of my student teaching classroom yet, but Im so glad that your question made me do just that. Reflecting on the conversations I have had with my students and the connections I have made with certain students has brought me to an important realization - for the most part, the students with whom I have had conversations about non-school related things (such as their weekend, their favorite sport, their pets) are more quick to participate during lessons, or at least to ask questions when they are confused. The students with whom I have not yet had the chance to do this with seem more shy and reserved during lessons, oftentimes not participating or asking questions. I think it really is true that students cant learn as effectively when they dont truly believe that their teacher cares about them as people. I hope that we all have the chance to connect with at least some of our students this semester beyond the walls of the classroom. :)

! Morgan: I actually had an experience with this at my placement last Thursday. While lining up to leave the library, one student (who I have not had a conversation beyond the walls of the classroom with yet) asked me if I was German. I was surprised by this question because I assumed that the student did not know the spelling of my last name and its German routes. I told her that I was half German and she started talking about how she is half German too but she doesnt know any words in German but was wondering if I could speak German The conversation carried all the way back to the classroom. After bonding over our shared German-ancestry, this student was more attentive during my lessons and quick to raise her hand in class. At the end of the day, the student approached me again to have a conversation. I was shocked at how such a short conversation could bond a student to a teacher so quickly and realized the importance of connecting with students through these commonalities. ! Rachel: I love this question because it is really requiring some reflection (in a FUN way)! There is one student in particular that I can relate to with this. On the first day at my placement, my teacher was briefing me on the personalities in the classroom. She talked about how one girl is very shy and quiet and doesnt ask questions very often but needs extra help sometimes. I made it a point to get her to open up to me right off the bat. During study hall that day, I asked her to come sit at the back table with me and work on some cool math problems. They were the same skill that they were doing for homework, but different problems. While we were back there, we got to talking about her siblings and pets and how she likes math, but is too shy to ask for help. Since then, Ive noticed that she comes to me for help on everything she needs--she usually asks me oneon-one questions at least ten times a day.