General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPLEASE read this story about an extraordinary teacher:
A few weeks ago, I went into Chases class for tutoring.
Id emailed Chases teacher one evening and said, Chase keeps telling me that this stuff youre sending home is math but Im not sure I believe him. Help, please. She emailed right back and said, No problem! I can tutor Chase after school anytime. And I said, No, not him. Me. He gets it. Help me. And thats how I ended up standing at a chalkboard in an empty fifth grade classroom staring at rows of shapes that Chases teacher kept referring to as numbers.
I stood a little shakily at the chalkboard while Chases teacher sat behind me, perched on her desk, using a soothing voice to try to help me understand the new way we teach long division. Luckily for me, I didnt have to unlearn much because I never really understood the old way we taught long division. It took me a solid hour to complete one problem, but l could tell that Chases teacher liked me anyway. She used to be a NASA scientist (true story) so obviously we have a whole lot in common.
Afterwards, we sat for a few minutes and talked about teaching children and what a sacred trust and responsibility it is. We agreed that subjects like math and reading are the least important things that are learned in a classroom. We talked about shaping little hearts to become contributors to a larger community and we discussed our mutual dream that those communities might be made up of individuals who are Kind and Brave above all.
And then she told me this.
Every Friday afternoon Chases teacher asks her students to take out a piece of paper and write down the names of four children with whom theyd like to sit the following week. The children know that these requests may or may not be honored. She also asks the students to nominate one student whom they believe has been an exceptional classroom citizen that week. All ballots are privately submitted to her.
And every single Friday afternoon, after the students go home, Chases teacher takes out those slips of paper, places them in front of her and studies them. She looks for patterns.
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Read the rest: http://momastery.com/blog/2014/01/30/share-schools/#sthash.YtniD1mN.dpuf
Wow. Just wow!
I wish I had thought of that.
lucca18
(1,241 posts)What a caring and thoughtful person, who is concerned about every student. Everyone matters and no one is forgotten.
mercuryblues
(14,530 posts)Thanks for sharing.
Stargazer09
(2,132 posts)I wish all teachers had the time and energy to do this.
cyberswede
(26,117 posts)Bigmack
(8,020 posts)As a retired teacher myself, I can't help but wish I had had HALF the insight of this teacher! Ms Bigmack