As a new teacher, it is so easy to get all-consumed with the teaching.
Yet, it is important to remember that we are teaching students … we are teaching children.
cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Pink Sherbet Photography
Some of my students, my “little characters”, are not easy to teach.
Some make me laugh, some make me cry. Yet, I enjoy working with, and teaching every one of them.
I believe in building bridges with my most alienated, challenging students. I invest significant time and effort in building trust and mutual respect. I try to find that connection, that one little thing we have in common … and I’ve learnt “that from little things, big things grow”.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m preoccupied with my own teaching and learning, but today I received a powerful reminder about the foundation of my teaching practice.
A student told me her story.
It wasn’t an easy story to tell, and not an easy story to listen to. Yet, it was a first step, a little breakthrough … from which, I believe we can move forward.