Character Development in the Classroom

Last week I finally started teaching the unit I have prepared for Night by Elie Wiesel and let me just say that I have definitely chosen the right profession. No doubt about it. I love everything about being in the classroom, and getting to interact with my students is so rewarding.

As an introduction to Night, I posed several questions to my students in order to promote discussion. While all of my students generally knew that the Holocaust was bad and we needed to know about it, none of them could really tell me why. In fact, most wondered why we should read the book, since we had already discussed the events of the Holocaust as a class. I asked them to think about why it is important to read and learn about the experiences of others when we don't know those people and probably never will. I was shocked when the reply I received was generally, "Well, I don't know, it isn't really that important. We already know bad things happen to people, so I don't know why we have to talk about it. It's depressing."

This transitioned into some of the most wonderful discussions I have ever had with my students. We talked about how our lives connect with the experiences of people we had already read about, and why reading and learning about these experiences allows us to connect. The importance of empathizing with others and making sure we as humans are aware of injustice was discussed, and hearing my students express their insights was amazing. Students who rarely contribute shared their thoughts, and everyone really got involved in and excited about the discussion.

When I told my classes that events such as the Holocaust and other instances of oppression still happen today, many of them were completely shocked. They all knew bad things obviously happen, but they had no idea that horrible acts of genocide and oppression were currently occurring in the world. And they all wanted to know, HOW? Don't we all? Listening to my students discuss reminded me that, as teachers, we are responsible for so much more than just educating. Our students are forming their personalities, beliefs, and character as they sit in class, and it is important to focus on how we all operate in this world as members of the human race. Sometimes it's easy to just stick to the facts and skip over why they are connected and how they resonate within.

An article I saw on edutopia.org was addressing this idea, and it offered some great insight and explanation about the importance of character development in the classroom. I personally view social and emotional learning as a very important part of education, and strive to incorporate this type of learning in my classroom. In the article Traci Vogel states that, "Good literature has long been a window into our psyches. As historian Barbara W. Tuchman put it, 'Books are humanity in print.' Incorporating SEL lessons into reading curriculum can put students in touch with the universality of literature, its power to transport us to different experiences and to connect and even change human beings."

"Books are humanity in print." I just love that. And it's completely true!

Rewards of (Student) Teaching!

Waking up every morning excited about where you are going to go, what you are going to do, and who you are going to see is a pretty amazing feeling. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be. By doing what I love and being around others who share my same passion, I grow as a person, and I can already tell that student teaching will be quite the exciting journey.

On the first day of my instructional course for student teaching, the instructor asked us to share the worries and fears we had about the upcoming semester. At this time, we had only been in the classroom a few days, so it was a good way to get everything out in the open at the beginning and brainstorm solutions. As we were sharing, however, I realized that I really was not facing the upcoming semester with any trepidation! I had made a point to get to know all of my students by name, involved myself in the classroom, and entered the semester with an immense amount of excitement. While I do worry about things like not being able to reach certain students, making sure I get everything done on time, and ensuring that I'm not an unemployed teacher next year, I generally do not stress about school often. I'm simply having too much fun!

I believe the reason for my enthusiasm stems from the students themselves. Even though I've only been with my classes all day every day for a few weeks now, I have witnessed an extraordinary amount of growth. Three of these stories particularly inspire me, and so I'd like to share them with you.

Last semester, I had one student in my class who talked all the time, refused to work, and generally chose not to participate in class. Finally, my CT and I pulled him aside to have a talk about his performance, choosing to focus on how much we wanted him to succeed and how smart we knew he was as opposed to berating him about the ever-growing pile of missing work. Within the week, he was contributing to discussion, reading aloud, and working in class. Yes, there were still times when I had to remind him to put his phone away or stop talking, but the frequency decreased drastically.

Sonya Robbins shared her thoughts about dealing with behaviors like this, stating, "The challenge of being a good teacher is being able to balance your status as a clear authority figure with the need to connect with your students and relate to them. You have to remember why a kid might not be focused, why they want to make stupid comments, why they want to socialize. I make a conscious effort to remember that it's normal for kids to do all those things. And I remember that when they do, it's not a failing on my part or theirs." We probably all need to remember that. Things happen, and it's okay! This semester, my student has 100% in our class, and really seems to be getting involved. I've also found that if I ask those around him to help him with group work instead of just letting them sit there, the talking turns from off-topic conversation to meaningful discussion about the lesson. AND, they turn in some marvelous work!

I'm corny, but I want all my students to develop and flourish. They're amazing people!

This semester I've noticed a huge development in another student as well, and it's been amazing to watch. He missed a ton of class, and generally only came when someone forced him to. Needless to say, his grades weren't good, and I didn't know how to help him because he was never there! I tried to make sure I said hello and talked to him every time he was in class, but this generally did not elicit much of a response. This semester I was determined. I was going to get this kid to come to class! Luckily, he was in class during the first week back, so I made sure to explain what we were doing and try to help him catch up. When I was telling him about the assignments he could still make up from the past couple of days, he said, "I failed everything last semester anyway, so this doesn't really matter. I'm not going to graduate." Statements like that break my heart. But I refuse to believe them, so I simply said, "Well, I know how smart you are and I think that you can graduate if you want to . But it's your choice. Here's what you can do to get started." That day he turned in his work halfway complete. This may not seem like a big accomplishment, but it sure did put a smile on my face!

Every day since, he has come to class, and my CT and I have made a point to repeatedly remind him how glad we are to have him in class and praise his accomplishments. While I don't think giving praise for every tiny thing is good, I do think it is something we should consciously do more of. We spend so much time focusing on what our students are doing wrong, that we forget about the wonderful things they do right! When Chris Collins interviewed Robbins about her thoughts on praise and she stated, "There's another teacher from my past -- Mr. Olson, from second grade -- who I also think of these days. He made me feel smart. He'd publicly praise me for being a good speller, for example. I do that a lot as a teacher now. If you have a student that has a bit of talent in something, no matter what it is, find a way to celebrate it. " I agree wholeheartedly, and attempt to implement this in my classroom! He has also started interacting with a group of other students, and I think this has made a huge difference as well. They're all cool kids, and I'm pretty sure it's thanks to them that he keeps coming back!

Good Lessons From a Bad Teacher interview with Sonya Robbins 

http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-interview-student-memories-robbins