Chapter 4 Reflection
Jot down brief descriptions of the kinds of kids who provoke the following feelings in you:
1) Kids you find it easy to like:
I find it easy to like the kids who are self-motivated, but I’m also partial to the kids who are funny slackers. These are the kids who will get their work done in class, but they have to crack a few jokes with the teacher before they get it done.
2) Kids you find it hard to like:
The kids I find it hard to like are the ones who are smart enough to do the work, but don’t do anything in class. I’ve watched in my mentor teacher’s classroom where there are a handful of kids who are smarter than they are letting on and don’t do anything in class. They goof off and spend the in-class time they have talking to their neighbors.
3) Kids you are sorry for:
I feel sorry for the kids who are total outcasts in the class. The kids who may or may not have friends outside of class, but most definitely don’t have friends in class. I hate to see those kids who don’t get picked for partners and have to rely on the teacher to set them up with a group.
4) Kids you feel threatened by:
I feel threatened by students who challenge me both mentally and physically.
5) Kids you identify with:
I identify with the comedic slackers and the sarcastic individuals.
6) Kids you gravitate toward:
I gravitate towards a variety different students. I like the students who are quiet and funny and those who are sarcastic and a little bit moody.
7) Kids you feel inadequate around:
I feel inadequate around kids who have more knowledge in an area than I do. I want to have the information for my students, but eventually I’m going to come across a student who has more knowledge on a certain book than I do.
8) Kids you probably don’t even notice:
I don’t notice the kids who never come to class or if they do come to class sometimes and tend to sit in the back and never talk.
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Kaitlin,
ReplyDeleteI completely identify with the way you feel about kids. But I hadn't thought personally about how I would feel about the "funny slackers." I think that's an excellent point and I'm going to have to remember to stay on them and to keep trying to motivate them even when I enjoy their humor and their presence in their class. I know for myself that it's usually harder to crack down on people (or students) that I really like personally.
I definitely agree with you about the student with ability who isn't motivated or isn't interested. Ironically, these are also the kids I feel threatened by. If they have the ability and they're refusing to do the assignment, and if you've truly tried to engage them and they still refuse, what do you do?
Alicia
What is it about students who can but don't? Is it something teachers can influence? Do you think it is a matter of curriculum or style of the teacher? Or is it simply that point in a student's life that is part of their identity formation in which they are testing the boundaries of "success"? Or do teens really think about anything but their relationships with others and the rest either fits or doesn't? Do we pay attention to all this as teachers or just try to get our content out there the best that we can?
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