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Friday, March 26, 2010

it's the little things...

I have a student, K., who can't seem to help himself from getting into trouble.
...but he's one of those kids that you just can't help but love.

Earlier this year, he got in trouble for stealing a handheld pencil sharpener in my classroom from another student. I dealt with the problem accordingly. But when I asked him why he did it, he said, "Because I thought the pencil sharpener was cool."

So I asked him if he thought it would be cool to steal a pencil sharpener from me ...if I had a cool one. "Oh. No, Ms. T. I would never steal from you."

I told him, "Well, if you would never steal from me, than you need to think of it as me the next time you think about taking something from someone."

Today I stopped him as he headed out to recess because he had work to finish. He groaned as I handed him the papers. I looked at him, smiled, and said, "If I didn't love and care about you so much...I wouldn't keep you in from recess...BUT because I do, you get to complete this work." I handed him 2 out of the 4 papers he needed to do (so not to overwhelm him.)

A few minutes later, I stopped to help another student and when I looked up, he was gone. I told the other workroom teacher I would be back. I found him outside playing basketball. He again groaned as I showed him the other two papers.

As we walked down the hall, I asked him the questions off the paper. He knew them ALL! I looked at him and said, "If you know these, then why don't you do them????" The corner of his mouth curved and one shoulder rose and fell. I couldn't help but smile back. "Just do them! Okay?" I responded.

At the end of the day, I walked into the gym where the bus kids were waiting. Up pops K. He comes running over with his arms outstretched, smile plastered across his face, and gives me a hug and tells me, " Have a good weekend, Ms. T., can't wait to see you on Monday!"

... it's the little things that make teaching worthwhile.

12 comments:

  1. You give me hope! I am having a tough time with one of the kids Teachers who keeps emailing me asking me to make "my adhd" behave, pay attention, listen to her, sit still, I can talk to him all day long and I have but I keep thinking if she is just telling me and not handling it at school it won't matter what I say. I know moms of the other kids in the class and its not just mine she is doing this all the way around, I just don't know what to do next. But you give me hope!

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  2. I can't tell you how much I hope my daughters have teachers like you.

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  3. Stephanie,
    I wish I could tell you what to do...I believe in solving my own problems in my own classroom. I do have my students call their own parents when they get into trouble to "own up", but I ALWAYS handle the situation myself... otherwise it takes my rein of authority away.

    ck,
    Thank you. :)

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  4. Its too bad there arent more teachers out there like you. I cant tell you how many BAD ones my kids have been thru and that is including a college teacher my daughter had.

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  5. you sound like a GREAT teacher! Keep it up. We need more of you!

    Holly

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  6. I teach 5th grade boys in Sunday School and almost fell over when we had a small class one day and THEY asked me if we could work on learning the memory passage. YES!!! Yes we can!

    Congrats on yours SITS day!

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  7. Awww, again!

    Teacher of the Year! Seriously!

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  8. By the way, since you are such an awesome teacher ;) Imma follow you!!

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  9. I think that is wonderful! Teachers that care are the most important teachers out there. You make me miss teaching.

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  10. Congrats on your SITS day! I, too, am a teacher and it can often be a thankless, perkless, grueling job but it really is things like that that make teaching so worthwhile. Enjoy your day!

    Jenny

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  11. How sweet!!! Kids sometimes come out of nowhere and surprise you with their kindness. :)

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  12. Aww That's awesome, I hope my kids have teachers like you :)

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