Lucky me

Teachers always seem to have an endless to do list. I know I would often get so wrapped up in the things I had to accomplish for the day I would forget to take the time to just listen the students in my class. This year I am realizing my to do list is much shorter. Yes, I am working with some kids who need extra practice and instruction, but more than anything most of these kids just need someone who will listen to them and give them the attention they deserve and need.

Today I was working with 2 second graders. Before we got started I heard them talking about how one of them got beat up by a big kid the previous afternoon. I let them share the rest of their story with me which led to me learning details about their families. One boy has a mother who works the night shift at a local factory. Both boys have fathers in jail. Just by spending 10 minutes, if that, listening to them, and validating the fact that it was wrong for a big kid to pick on them, I was able to gain trust and respect. For the next 30 minutes I had their complete attention. They were attentive and cooperative with our lesson. When it was time for them to go back to class, they wanted to stay.

It's sad that as a regular classroom teacher we don't normally have time to really listen to our kids. We want to and we know we need to, but how? Public school teachers have too many other things to worry about. Standarized testing, benchmarks, how to make teaching fun again, large class sizes, how to make teaching actually fun and meaningful again. The list could go on and on.

I'm glad I get to work with such small groups this year. I guess even though I'm just a volunteer and not making a salary this year, I'm actually the lucky one. I hope I don't forget that this year.