ELLEN
BERG
Diary #18
The Power of One-on-One:
Three Student Stories
Everyday as
we watch television and movies or listen to the radio, we develop an idea
of what the personalities who entertain us are like. We consider the parts
they play, the gossip we hear about them, and even the way they handle
themselves on awards shows. We love them, hate them or are indifferent
to them, and it is all based on hearsay and inference. In the end, we
do not really know the people behind the stars.
I am finding that my greatest successes are in those moments where I begin to know each student and teach to them alone in the manner and moment they most need it. Teaching is, or should be, a hugely personal experience.
Teaching one to one
In past entries I have touched on using conferences as a means to differentiate for each child, but a few experiences this week have convinced me we need to go beyond that. All teachers must take advantage of those sparkling moments that pop up around us to reach out and teach one to one. It sounds time-consuming, but if it becomes a standard part of our practice, it takes little time at all. In fact, I believe it will save us time in the long run.Let me explain by sharing three experiences from this week with you.
The first is with my homeroom student, "Cassie." Cassie is a student who initially complained there were no good books in my bookcase, despite a selection of 500 or more young adult novels. A few months ago I finally connected her with a book I loved by Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons. It took her roughly three weeks to complete it, but as she turned it in she asked me to recommend another book like it since she had enjoyed it so much. That recommendation has turned into others, and finally I introduced her to Speak. Cassie enjoyed the book so much that she emailed me on a Saturday afternoon to tell me she was almost finished and she could not wait to talk to me on Monday. She also added that I should think of another book to set her up with.
This week Cassie finished a novel I offered her, Zach's Lie, in two days. She is now enthusiastic about reading, even recommending books to me and her classmates who are still struggling with finding the right books. Every morning she stops at my desk to share her newest discoveries, predictions, and ideas about what she is reading. She has become a Reader. "Dennis" is a conundrum, which is a nice way to say he is a real pain in the behind. Shocking, yes, but we've all had a Dennis in our classrooms. Dennis constantly draws attention to himself by making fun of others, tapping on the desk, or making inappropriate comments. He claims he is not doing anything wrong when corrected and generally refuses to follow directions. He is failing all classes except band, does very little work, and is often suspended. This week I noticed some interesting things about Dennis. First, the Americorps worker running the talent show emailed me to tell me how well Dennis was working after school during practice. He shared how Dennis had taken charge of his group's presentation, offering constructive criticism on performances and helping to rearrange several parts. He was confident and in control, not quite the Dennis I knew. I also noticed that every time Dennis would be sent back to my room from another class for time out, he was not a problem at all. He sits down, opens his binder, and gets to work on the assignment from the other class. If he does not understand the assignment or needs further work, he waits until I have a free moment and asks if he can go ask the teacher for assistance. He is in every respect a model student. Friday the science teacher trotted him down to me after her class with a handful of other guilty parties and told me Dennis had been disruptive and disobedient once again. I lined all my little people up, had the parent liaison cover my class during SSR, and had each child call home. In the midst of this process, it suddenly occurred to me Dennis was not acting out to be bad, he was acting out to get attention. I asked him to remain with me while we made the final calls, then I shared my revelations with him. I asked him if he was trying to get attention. He grinned and said yes, almost shyly. We talked for a while, and I told him we had to figure out a way for him to get the attention he needs in a positive way. His assignment for the weekend is to come up with a leadership role or task he will be responsible for in the classroom that will allow him to get some positive attention. We returned to class, he settled down to read, and for the first time in four months I did not hear a peep from Dennis. He was focused on his book. "Felicity" is a loud in-your-face kind of girl. She is below grade level, and she often masks her frustration with off-task behaviors. She is also funny and wants the approval of her teachers. When she returned from suspension this week, I sat down with her to discuss what she had missed. I showed her how to categorize her research on electricity in preparation for her article and asked her if she had any questions. She clarified a few points then set about completing the task. Later she called me over to ask if she could use the remaining time to firm up one category of her research because as she put it, "I played too much before, and my article won't sound right if I don't get this information." She worked steadily for the rest of the period, no interruptions, no outbursts, just a focus on her work.Students are more than their roles
All three of the students I have described could be – and have been – given labels, stereotyped like we do celebrities. Cassie would be the reluctant reader, Dennis the troublemaker, and Felicity the dummy. Many of us, myself included, stay at the surface level and assume our students intend to portray that role. We too often expect students to be more self-aware than we ourselves are, and we forget they they also fall into patterns and roles they feel trapped in. We feel rushed, irritated, and personally insulted when students do not fit the role we most desire, that of eager student, and we overlook the person behind the mask.
It is a simple but profound concept: to teach our students most effectively we must know them. When we begin to know them we learn what works for them and how we need to adjust our instruction. The nature of our relationship changes from adult to trusted advisor when we show students we think they are important enough to know and understand.
