Monday, March 26, 2012

Now I Know Why

One of the reasons I joined the Slice was to put myself in my student's shoes.  I was interested in my having to write every day, even when I knew I wouldn't want to write!  A couple of days ago I had a rough day.  I'd been assessing all day, so my students were really off schedule and I went home, ignoring the good scores, just worrying about all the assessments I had to cram in during the next weeks.  Which will lead to more crazy days!  And no teaching...but that's another post.
I got home to find my husband had had one of the worst days ever.  Then our daughter called to tell of her difficult day.
Guess what?  My slice was nearly impossible to write.  And my students?  They come from homes where Mom and Dad are fighting.  The rent's overdue.  There's no money for food and the check isn't due for days!  Is it any surprise that some days my kids just sit and struggle to put pencil to paper?

2 comments:

  1. It is hard to push them when they have already been pushed in so many directions. I struggle with this everyday. How much do I push, when do I let it go a little, when do I make sure I am asking for all they've got. It is a dance of sorts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. These are vital reflections for a teacher. We can't ever forget what it's like, and the surest way to do that is to be active readers and writers ourselves. Kudos to your insight!

    ReplyDelete