I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Yes it is nice to have a nice mellow time at a pizza place, but there should be a little understanding. My kids were not running around the place dodging in and out of tables or chairs, they were not yelling throughout the meal or throwing things. Even if they had, isn’t that the reason we take kids to restaurants, so they can learn how to act? I wonder if that the way some teachers feel about students? We expect them to be end-of-year kids we had last year and not beginning-of-the-year kids not knowing our rules, procedures, or the curriculum we need to teach. I was told once that as a teacher I was probably one of the highest in my classes at school, obeyed most or all of the rules, and most things just make sense to me. So how am I supposed to teach students that are not the top of the class, do not always understand how to act anywhere, and do not obey rules, and probably do not have rules at their house. And to top it off, nothing makes sense to these students right away. How can I expect that all or any of my lessons will go as I plan. I can’t.
But what I can do is build empathy for them. I can love them and give the chances. Even when all their chances are up, I give them another chance. I care about what they are going through. I can help them as they go through things at home or with friends, or with assignments they do not understand. I care about them. Most teachers get this. Most understand this. Most live by this. So when we get ready to punish a student for not bringing their homework back when they have no one at home to help or they have to babysit all night because their parents work, or even if they do not bring their work back at all, help them so they can succeed. I know it is hard, but we need them to feel success. We don’t need to give them more of what they don’t need. We need to give them what they do need. Love and guidance. Do you have a story that is similar to mine?
