Teachable Moments
Moments in time when the best laid plans yielded the unexpected...and provided opportunities to grow as an educator.
The Tale of the
Yellow Card
The moment: While engaged in student teaching at a local high school I encountered a small of group of students, 5 males, who decided they did not want to do what was asked of them. They simply walked out of class and did not heed calls to return.
My mistake: Believing that students would follow directions led me to be unprepared for those who did not choose to follow instructions.
The solution: Upon reflection it dawned on me to try to communicate in a way that "spoke" to the audience, specifically students who lived in a football-centric (soccer) area.
I bought a football referee pack of a yellow and a red card. The next time one of the boys decided to engage in non-acceptable behavior during class I simply held up a yellow card. The look on his face told me what I needed to know: message received. He knew he'd received a penalty, one delivered wordlessly. It was an invitation for him to check himself. He did.
Lessons for me:
Expect the unexpected. Don't be surprised if someone goes "rogue".
Take the time to consider the audience.
Use cultural norms and practices to your and your students' advantage.
Phone Fight
The moment: Often times during PHE class I have had to remind students to not have their phone with them. Some students like to hide phones in a waist band or sleeve and check their "socials" while I'm not looking.
My mistake: Not recognizing phones for the tool they could be, but rather viewing them as a hinderance to instruction.
The solution: I now include the use of phones in select units so that students can:
recognize the value of using their phone to track nutritional and exercise data,
increase personal exercise enjoyment through the use of music during fitness-focus times, and
use tools like the pedometer, timer, and camera to refine performance.
Lessons for me:
Phones are a tool.
Healthy use of phones is to be taught and practiced.
Riding waves is more enjoyable than being crushed by them.
Lazy or Medical?
The moment: An older student often wore sunglasses in class and did not perform very well when tasked with engaging in higher-intensity exercises.
My mistake: I had already checked PowerSchool to confirm she had no medical issues listed (none were), spoken to her, and emailed her. Her responses were vague and confusing. I concluded she was being lazy and disrespectful. I did not contact her parent.
The solution: Mom contacted the school to schedule a meeting with me and the nurse. The student did have a serious medical condition, one that had slipped through the PowerSchool data entry cracks and that the student downplayed so as to not stand out. Mom thought I knew, daughter had difficulty explaining it, and I hadn't attempted to contact the parent.
Note: procedures were changed at the administrative level to address the lack of proper notification.
Lessons for me:
Parents have insights into their child that I do not have. Don't wait!
Sometimes PowerSchool does not have all the answers.
Including parents in conversations early can help one maintain a healthy learning environment.
katherineholmes1970@gmail.com