Kids deserve an excited adult.” - From "Kids Deserve It" by Todd Nesloney & Adam Welcome
This passage from Kids Deserve it! by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome is something I look at often and relate to my teaching practice. I truly believe that every child is special, every child has potential, and every child has the right to learn. While this sounds generic,I have seen first hand how far the simple action of telling a student they are doing a great job and being a supportive and trusting adult can go. By giving students support, encouragement, and the tools that fit them best every student can be successful. Teaching is much more than simply meeting General and Specific Learner outcomes and healthy life skills. Teaching is working with every student in your classroom to make sure that they are finding ways that they can learn, and helping them perfect these methods. By teaching students different ways to approach a task or assignment they will be able to do their best work. However, if teachers do not cater to each students uniqueness and individual needs we are not doing our job, and in fact setting students up for failure. Teaching is not only teaching a Program of Studies, it is teaching children to believe in themselves. If students do not have the confidence to do well, they will never reach their full potential. Teaching every student that they are smart, special, and have the ability to reach their full potential is as important as the government curriculum. If we only teach students how to memorize information and write tests they will leave school knowing how to get A’s on tests, however they will leave with no way of knowing how they learn, and how they can succeed. Children need to have their teacher(s) be a trusted adult in their world. Teachers do not, and should not, act as parents, however, teachers do need to be a constant source of encouragement, happiness and hope. For some students, school is their only safe and consistent place. Teachers must meet curricular outcomes and follow through with classroom management, however, teachers must be an authority figure that teaches students positive and healthy habits, not an angry adult who will give up on them if they act out. Without giving students hope and encouragement and building relationships with them, they may not have the desire to meet curricular outcomes or behave in class. If each teacher can be the energetic adult that teaches them boundaries and gives them encouragement, meeting curricular outcomes will come easier, and classroom management issues will not be as present. I experienced this first-hand in my PSII. On my fourth week of practicum I arrived at school and realized my coffee had spilt in my bag, breaking my computer and ruining all of my lesson plans and worksheets I had done over my four weeks. I was open and honest with my students that our LA lesson was not as well planned as I had hoped because of the incident, however, I did not let this ruin my day or affect the way I treated my students. I greeted every student with a smile and ensured that their well-being was put first. For some of my students, school may be their only safe and consistent place and I needed to put my troubles aside and be their enthusiastic adult they deserved. Overall, I believe that every student walks into a classroom on the first day of school as capable as any other student around them. By telling a student that they are smart, it gives them the confidence to reach their full potential. My goal as a future teacher is to make sure that every student in my class is able to realize that they are special, that they are smart, and that they have the ability to complete lessons correctly. Confidence truly is key to students, and by constantly building their confidence it is setting them up for success. Each and every child deserves an equal chance at education. If teachers do not be their best selves for their students, there may be a divide between which students have an equal chance at learning. At the end of the day, kids do deserve the best me and I will strive to give my students that.