Mi Clase es Su Clase
Michelle wrote to me about how she makes students feel welcome in her room. (see The Magic Carpet 12/4/09) I really welcome her ideas. This is an area that Karen and I feel very strongly about. Our classrooms are our opportunity to humanize what can be a very de-humanizing environment (to paraphrase Haim Gnott). I realize that not all of us have our own classrooms, but if we do, or even have a corner of one (or even have a cart!!), that classroom communicates to our students as clearly as our words, actions and facial expressions do.
I'm not going to share ideas in this piece...there is time for that later, and I welcome you to share yours!! I am going to share a suggestion:
Ask your students what your classroom says to them. Listen to their answers. Ask your students what they would like to have your classroom include. Listen to their answers. Ask your students what is distracting or uncomfortable. Listen to their answers.
Then look around and ask yourself a question: What am I doing for me and what am I doing for my students? Listen to your answers.
You are the professional. You know the educational needs of your students, the classroom management tools you employ and the types of activities that your classroom must accomodate. But they know what it feels like on the other side of the desk. Sometimes what we want and what they need are not the same thing. What can they offer, in the way of ideas and implementation, so that isn't "my" room, but instead it's "our" room.
The things that Michelle suggested are truly part of that. Sometimes it is the little things that mean the most.
Last year I had a student who was fairly tall. Some days he was incredibly frustrated in class....almost mean and angry. I wondered why, but couldn't seem to come up with an answer. One day he arrived late, looked around the room and stormed out without a word. I rushed out after him wondering what was wrong. It turns out that nearly all of our desks have a metal bar across the front legs. These desks were horribly uncomfortable for him. He had tried very hard to get to class early enough to make sure that a desk without a bar was available for him every day. That day, there were none available. After sitting all day long in desks with his legs shoved up against that metal bar, he felt he just couldn't do it one more time. Since a) I'm only 5'3" and b) I don't in student desks very often I had had no idea. He and I worked out a system so that he would always have a "barless" desk. His frustration disappeared.
It's never a bad thing to stop from time to time while we arrange our classrooms and ask...what do my students need?
with love,
Laurie
I'm not going to share ideas in this piece...there is time for that later, and I welcome you to share yours!! I am going to share a suggestion:
Ask your students what your classroom says to them. Listen to their answers. Ask your students what they would like to have your classroom include. Listen to their answers. Ask your students what is distracting or uncomfortable. Listen to their answers.
Then look around and ask yourself a question: What am I doing for me and what am I doing for my students? Listen to your answers.
You are the professional. You know the educational needs of your students, the classroom management tools you employ and the types of activities that your classroom must accomodate. But they know what it feels like on the other side of the desk. Sometimes what we want and what they need are not the same thing. What can they offer, in the way of ideas and implementation, so that isn't "my" room, but instead it's "our" room.
The things that Michelle suggested are truly part of that. Sometimes it is the little things that mean the most.
Last year I had a student who was fairly tall. Some days he was incredibly frustrated in class....almost mean and angry. I wondered why, but couldn't seem to come up with an answer. One day he arrived late, looked around the room and stormed out without a word. I rushed out after him wondering what was wrong. It turns out that nearly all of our desks have a metal bar across the front legs. These desks were horribly uncomfortable for him. He had tried very hard to get to class early enough to make sure that a desk without a bar was available for him every day. That day, there were none available. After sitting all day long in desks with his legs shoved up against that metal bar, he felt he just couldn't do it one more time. Since a) I'm only 5'3" and b) I don't in student desks very often I had had no idea. He and I worked out a system so that he would always have a "barless" desk. His frustration disappeared.
It's never a bad thing to stop from time to time while we arrange our classrooms and ask...what do my students need?
with love,
Laurie
Comments