“Today is my first day at this school,” I said, as I co-taught with another teacher.
She stood next to me, and she hit me with BREAKING NEWS: “Look at the number of teachers who are on Leave at this school.” Then she proclaimed that I was in The Worst School in the County.
The bomb-shell explosion of her troubling report began when I signed on to a new school’s district. On Day 1, I had been instructed to take the place of Ms. Lindell, a math teacher. She also had a teacher who co-taught with her in the same classroom, Ms. Hines. When I entered the empty medium size classroom, the students had not arrived yet. I whispered a small prayer and prepared for the exciting arrival of my high school students. I stood outside the classroom and welcomed Period 1’s students with a bubbly …show more content…
“Wow!” I said, “John, you are smart.” His academic performance was astounding, and he deserved a standing ovation. “I just knew you had it in you, John,” I added.
Oh, my goodness, I wish you could have witnessed the twinkle in his eyes and the expressions of joy, inspiration, and CONFIDENCE–that radiated on his face. His evil, intimidating expression disappeared, and I saw his self-confidence burst wide open. Personally, with God’s help, I hit three home-runs in that moment.
John realized that, although I contacted security, I still cared for him, and since I cared, he tackled his desire to learn. He used three tools to meet his goal: his self-confidence, self-worth, and knowing that his efforts were appreciated. Believe it or not, he did not misbehave or cause any more problems. Strangely, those English students in Period 2 got better and better.
***
Let us rehash what happened at the beginning of this chapter. When Ms. Hines injected her negative statement, I searched my classroom and I looked to identify examples of
She stood next to me, and she hit me with BREAKING NEWS: “Look at the number of teachers who are on Leave at this school.” Then she proclaimed that I was in The Worst School in the County.
The bomb-shell explosion of her troubling report began when I signed on to a new school’s district. On Day 1, I had been instructed to take the place of Ms. Lindell, a math teacher. She also had a teacher who co-taught with her in the same classroom, Ms. Hines. When I entered the empty medium size classroom, the students had not arrived yet. I whispered a small prayer and prepared for the exciting arrival of my high school students. I stood outside the classroom and welcomed Period 1’s students with a bubbly …show more content…
“Wow!” I said, “John, you are smart.” His academic performance was astounding, and he deserved a standing ovation. “I just knew you had it in you, John,” I added.
Oh, my goodness, I wish you could have witnessed the twinkle in his eyes and the expressions of joy, inspiration, and CONFIDENCE–that radiated on his face. His evil, intimidating expression disappeared, and I saw his self-confidence burst wide open. Personally, with God’s help, I hit three home-runs in that moment.
John realized that, although I contacted security, I still cared for him, and since I cared, he tackled his desire to learn. He used three tools to meet his goal: his self-confidence, self-worth, and knowing that his efforts were appreciated. Believe it or not, he did not misbehave or cause any more problems. Strangely, those English students in Period 2 got better and better.
***
Let us rehash what happened at the beginning of this chapter. When Ms. Hines injected her negative statement, I searched my classroom and I looked to identify examples of