The going "joke" in my classroom is that when my students are constantly asking for help (when they can very well do their work, or are a bit too lazy to work it out themselves), I tell them "I can't follow you around for the rest of your life. You have to do the work to figure out the answers." Or if a fellow students shouts out an answer to a problem for a student whom I have called on to solve a problem, "Unless you want to follow around so-and-so for the rest of your life and give them the answers, it would be helpful if you let him/her try to figure out the problem on their own." So now my students actually use these phrases in class. "Unless you want Mr. K to follow us to high school, you need to figure out the solution..."
My grade eight students are impatiently counting down the days until graduation, summer and, more importantly, high school. And yet, they are typical grade eights in that they are still trying to figure out who they are, secure in their identity and yet insecure. Some of my students will be glad to not have me teach yet another year (two years was more than enough), but others show their worry and fear of the next stage of their life.
"Mr. K, are you teaching us in high school next year?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't have the credentials to do so."
"Why don't you go back to school so you can get them?"
"I like teaching grade eight."
"Oh."
"But my door will always be open if you need help. You can drop by any time."
"Can we come to your house (said with a smile)?"
"Umm....No."
No comments:
Post a Comment