I never had a bad class.
I’ve had classes that present unique challenges, I had students who test my creativity in my efforts to connect with them, and I’ve had classes that really didn’t need me very much. I beat myself up trying to figure out how to help students succeed, yet I never blamed the students for my failure. I blamed myself.
I never had a bad class because things are what we think they are–a self-fulfilling prophecy. Negative generalizations, full-moons, or my personal issues do not determine the type of day my students have.
If we believe it, it will be.
I have had amazing and interesting classes full of amazing and interesting students. And I don’t think it was luck.
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. –Buddha
Image source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9173533/Bad-behaviour-in-schools-fuelled-by-over-indulgent-parents.html
Thank you for an insightful article Allyson.
I add some thoughts.
I love the phrase, ‘When a person sits to contemplate the universe, it is the universe contemplating itself’. I remember those learning communities where creativity and harmony reigned, but my biggest learnings came from those students who entered the space fresh from real life struggles. I did not know what storm this kid had been asked to walk through to get to school that day.
As we teach, it is healthy for us to remember that understanding the extent of those storms is our learning for that day.
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts Vic. I agree that we must understand the storms our students are going through both in school and outside of school. Thank you for your perspective…I even edited a bit after your comment to make sure I was clearly communicating what I meant.
I totally agree with you and I hope many people are just as inspired by this post as I am. Your students are blessed to have you.