Practice Makes Progress

I used to tell my students in the first weeks of the school year that they were practicing to be adults. "Did they want to be lazy adults that bosses would not want to employ ~ Did they want to be the type of adult who complains all the time and no one wants to be around ~ or Did they want to be happy, thankful, productive members of society with friends and a family they could provide for?"

We would make a T-chart listing what was acceptable adult behavior and unacceptable adult behavior. Children have a lot to say about the adults in their lives :0) Then we would talk about how and what they could do as children and students to practice being the type of adult they deemed acceptable ~ worthy of striving for. These were then turned into characteristics that we posted as reminders throughout the year.

I really enjoyed doing this exercise with a fresh crop of second graders each year because it was also a reminder to me to strive everyday to be the type of person and teacher that myself and others would want to be around. I have to say that as changes to the class make up came each year, it became harder and harder to put into practice*. Yet, I persevered.

*Fully mainstreaming students with learning disabilities and behavior issues that deserved more and specialized attention from experts who received their credentials in these specialty areas, rather than from a general education teacher without these special credentials and without the support that is needed to make learning conducive for everyone.

As a teacher, I truly tried to help my students capitalize on their strengths and recognize their weaknesses as something to always strive to improve. I had a sing on the wall that said, Practice makes improvement. I didn't want them to believe that they had to be perfect.

There was a GATE (Gifted and Talented) program at our school and many parents wanted their children in the program because they believed it gave their kids some sort of advantage ~ it also made themselves feel good that their child qualified, meaning they were somehow better parents than the rest. I think that this is a horrible way to go through life, especially as a model for your children.

My religion is KINDNESS. Believing that you are somehow better than others based on your IQ or a one day test is not kindness in practice. It was apparent that these students felt some arrogance in the program and some of the teachers of the program did, as well. The parents most definitely did. This program, as well as the attitude and arrogance it promoted perpetuated the Matthew Effect, where the rich get richer and because they do the poor get (or seem to get) poorer. Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, but not in this case.

I am of the opinion that we need all types of students in every classroom because that is a reflection of the world we live in. It takes all kinds to make the world go round. If everyone was the same, what a boring place to be. Learn from others. Everyone has something to teach us.