Chapter 2

Pg. 17-18 – Story about Owen

Labels certainly can be damaging. Yes, many children need special education and extra help. Unfortunately, this oftentimes means that they will be treated differently and not get given the same opportunities or the same set of expectations as other students. We end up limiting their capabilities as learners, and we limit what we can do as teachers.

Pg. 20 – “I am therefore surprised whenever teachers comment: ‘You were respectful to every student. You didn’t raise your voice. You were firm but you were kind and encouraging.’”

I hope this is the way that I would be described by other teachers or observers. I wish that this was the way that all teachers treated their students and each other. Respect and encouragement are such important qualities to show and teach our children – especially if we expect them to be successful.

Pg. 21 – “Nobody is disrespectful to kids because she or he believes it’s the right way to treat them. We get stressed out, have a bad day, or feel overworked and tired. Staff members need to support one another by being careful about the way we talk about kids among ourselves. We need to make it a habit to avoid negative talk about students in the staff room or team meetings. Negative talk and feelings can carry over into the classroom. Showing respect is a worthy effort. Our students can’t learn without it.”

Some of the best advice I received was to stay out of the teacher’s lounge. I am very blessed to be in a school in which all of its staff members respect, encourage, and affirm its students, but no person is without at least one bad day. It does me well to stay away from any type of negativity; instead, I try to always choose something for which to be grateful. Gratitude and optimism are qualities that will flow over into our classrooms, our students, our coworkers, and our entire school. I like to say that positive attitudes result in positive experiences, and it is important for us to live that life and encourage our students and coworkers to live that life as well.

Pg. 25 – “Often I have found that high test scores coexist with scant student interest in writing, low engagement, and little understanding of audience and purpose.”

Are we teaching students to love language and learning or to pass the test? Can we do both? In the end, what good is a test score if students never pick up a pen to write or pick up a book to read once they leave our classrooms? We focus so much on how writing and reading should be rather than the possibility of how it can feel and how it can open up endless opportunities for our lives and imaginations. A teacher of mine, Vic Oglan, says, “Don’t get it right, get it written.” I think about this when I think about test scores and the interest levels of students. How much more do you think we would get from students if they focused not on what was right but instead on the process and progress that was being made?

Pg. 25 – “I have learned that all schools are “high needs” in different ways.”

I just had a conversation about this with a teacher last week. I feel that schools with affluent populations have needs that are sometimes overlooked or made to seem of lesser importance because our students are “given every opportunity.” No matter what the school or the population, students have needs that need to be met. We can’t assume that a certain community or student population is any less needy than another for any reason.

Pg. 27 – “’I’ve noticed that with increased nonfiction writing, there’s an increase in the desire to read nonfiction books.”’

A goal of mine for the upcoming year is to incorporate more authentic nonfiction writing. I think we definitely spent the majority of our time last year focusing on fiction reading and writing, and I want my students to be more interested in nonfiction.

Pg. 31 – “Celebration is about finding the joy in teaching and learning and “seeing” the child’s accomplishments, no matter how small.”

Teaching is hard work. I don’t think anyone realizes how hard it is going to be before they begin the profession, and I don’t think people who are not teachers appreciate how much work it is. If we don’t take time to enjoy, celebrate, and be thankful, it can easily get overwhelming and tiring. One of my teacher’s, Vic Oglan, once said, “We need to have a spirit of celebration because Lord knows we have lots of battles to fight.” This is so very true, and I hope that everyone takes the time to celebrate – for our sake and the sake of the children.