M
mrhtbd
Guest
Man, sometimes the cutting truth is just too much to take.
Had a teacher ask about accommodations for a student in her class who is acting up.
I have been battling with this student for two years.
I told her what he's really going through,
then later, when the student came to my class (like he always does because I am one male he respects and looks up to) I took him aside with the old, "We need to talk."
I told him this:
Dude, you're messing up. So-and-so asked me what she can do to get you to focus on the class material. I had to let her know what's up. Here's what I told her:
________ can't read very well, mainly because he refuses to wear his glasses.
He has very limited vision, in fact, he has to hold something 3 to 6 inches from his face to read it. Most likely the font in your book is way too small for him to even attempt.
Couple that with his lack of phonetic ability and you have a student in denial. He acts up to try to maintain a sense of worth. Also to avoid facing the things that make him so frustrated in school anyway.
His home life is an issue. Two years ago his dad (who he hadn't lived with for years) remarried and invited him to his new place. He didn't get along with dad's new wife. She belittled him. To make things worse, she had two son's of her own who did well in school. They always put him down for bad grades, making him feel unworthy of love and positive attention, so he chose negative attention to have any at all.
As I portrayed to _______ what I told the other teacher, which was also my understanding of him through our discussions and classroom interaction from the past two years, I noticed tears welling up in his eyes, almost as recognition that finally someone actually understands his deep frustrations and difficulties about his inability to learn at a faster pace. This surprised me because this is one tough kid; athletic, big, skilled; a tough guy.
I cut it short to help him save face in front of the other kids. He hid his eyes on the way to his seat, and put his head down during class. I let him be. For once, he didn't act up.
As a result, I came to the acknowledgment that I was actually doing something positive here, and whether it's hard for me, for whatever reason, the fact that I keep believing in these kids even though they don't oftentimes believe in themselves is a benefit I provide them I often don't see. I make them stronger. Maybe that's enough to make them press forward and make something of themselves.
Yes, battling with this student for two years, maybe I have made inroads of progress after all.
The students' impact on me, over the years, though, has evidently been profound.
Had a teacher ask about accommodations for a student in her class who is acting up.
I have been battling with this student for two years.
I told her what he's really going through,
then later, when the student came to my class (like he always does because I am one male he respects and looks up to) I took him aside with the old, "We need to talk."
I told him this:
Dude, you're messing up. So-and-so asked me what she can do to get you to focus on the class material. I had to let her know what's up. Here's what I told her:
________ can't read very well, mainly because he refuses to wear his glasses.
He has very limited vision, in fact, he has to hold something 3 to 6 inches from his face to read it. Most likely the font in your book is way too small for him to even attempt.
Couple that with his lack of phonetic ability and you have a student in denial. He acts up to try to maintain a sense of worth. Also to avoid facing the things that make him so frustrated in school anyway.
His home life is an issue. Two years ago his dad (who he hadn't lived with for years) remarried and invited him to his new place. He didn't get along with dad's new wife. She belittled him. To make things worse, she had two son's of her own who did well in school. They always put him down for bad grades, making him feel unworthy of love and positive attention, so he chose negative attention to have any at all.
As I portrayed to _______ what I told the other teacher, which was also my understanding of him through our discussions and classroom interaction from the past two years, I noticed tears welling up in his eyes, almost as recognition that finally someone actually understands his deep frustrations and difficulties about his inability to learn at a faster pace. This surprised me because this is one tough kid; athletic, big, skilled; a tough guy.
I cut it short to help him save face in front of the other kids. He hid his eyes on the way to his seat, and put his head down during class. I let him be. For once, he didn't act up.
As a result, I came to the acknowledgment that I was actually doing something positive here, and whether it's hard for me, for whatever reason, the fact that I keep believing in these kids even though they don't oftentimes believe in themselves is a benefit I provide them I often don't see. I make them stronger. Maybe that's enough to make them press forward and make something of themselves.
Yes, battling with this student for two years, maybe I have made inroads of progress after all.
The students' impact on me, over the years, though, has evidently been profound.
