My good friend, Ken Shelton, shares an experience about a student who was consistently late to his first period class because he had been tasked with getting his younger siblings to school every day. He laid out and ironed their clothes, fed them breakfast, and got them on the bus; all before heading to school himself. His first period teacher was asked to just have a conversation about his tardiness, hoping to promote an honest discussion and maybe a workaround. Her response amounted to her refusing to even initiate a discussion and saying that his failing her class would teach him the importance of being responsible….
Like really??
If you’ve never seen this video, I encourage you to watch. And if you already have, watch again. Either way, let me hear your thoughts.
Until the next time,
Awesome! 1) Although she never said the word once in her talk (at least I don’t think she did), at the heart of her message is the word “relationship.” Build relationships as best we can. Not all teachers can reach all students. But all teachers can reach some students. And together each student will have someone in the school cares and makes a difference. 2) Something that should not be glanced over is another major part of her message: freedom. It’s amazing what schools can do when given the freedom to innovate. We are not moving in that direction in south carolina; rather, we are moving to more standardization.