I have a first period student whose year has been very hard, as only ninth grade can be, and who has caused me some real stress. I have been talking with mom a lot, and moved the child to sit right next to me in class. I have been applying a lot of what we have been talking about re: the use of English and all that, trying to get better at the CI, which is to say that if a child doesn’t understand, I am partially responsible and must pull my weight. The editorial comment is that there must be a ton of us who alienate kids by going too fast, but then blame it on the kid. Anyway, here is a note I got from this student after class today. I would rather have this note than just about anything:
Dear Mr. Slavic,
I think I really am improving. I understood most of what we were talking about in class. I was slower on some things, but then I caught on. I am no longer mad and annoyed that I can’t understand what you are saying. Thank you for slowing down and writing things down on the board. It helps me out a lot.
I’m sorry for being so hard to handle in your class, and making it harder for you to teach. I think what you are doing with teaching is and would be an amazing change.
Thank you,
S
The Problem with CI
Jeffrey Sachs was asked what the difference between people in Norway and in the U.S. was. He responded that people in Norway are happy and
3 thoughts on “We Have To Pull Our Weight”
Nice! A positive comment like that now and then from a student makes it all worthwhile…
Ben, this is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing it. We have to make sure that all kids get it. That’s our job.
Something worth framing!