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Profile of livnlrn75

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Dec 30, 2011 2:28:40 PM

thank you, thai sean. i think you did well in being positive. i have travelled the world also and have taught in asia for seven years. now i am teaching children living in poverty up in northern maine. i also work with children that have oppositional defiance disorder. their ODD usually stems from some sort of abuse or neglect. research has shown that poverty forms children's minds which in turn forms their adult perceptions and their ideas of their self worth. this is what i meant by "mind set." A lot of teachers in this area believe that poverty is a cycle, where parents teach their children to work off the system. the book entitled, Teaching with Poverty in Mind written by Jensen has been a great help with understanding the dynamics around students living in poverty. he insists that we continue, above all else, to instil hope in our students. this hope can lead them a long way. i guess, overall, i asked this question to find more answers to how i can combat what i see in class and what i see when i go into homes that are poverty stricken. i know you answered concerning poverty around the world. i should have been more specific. here is a new question: why would people on aide get off it when their house, food, clothes, respite workers, behavioral health professionals (me), medical, case worker, etc is paid for? some do, but A LOT don't. what are some ways to show my students that there is more to life? that empowerment is more effective than charity?

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empowerment, respect, authentic

Dec 30, 2011 2:56:43 PM

Very good question! what are our schools set up for? Education? If it was education, then each class would be free flowing with ideas. Students would be part of making the curriculum and have more say in where their education goes. Making learning authentic is essential, but some teachers don’t get that. Instead they come in and think it is THEIR class that the students are in. it is not theirs, it is ours. Each class is a community that should focus on cooperation. Since a lot of teachers subscribe to discipline measures like my way or the highway (authoritarian), children are left feeling not heard or respected. Adults in general do not respect the rights of children. This is why I teach and why I have dedicated my life to children… I know I teach because I think it is the most radical occupation out there. Educators have to power and tools to mold our next generation. Each student is our hope for a brighter, more peaceful, and gentler world. To me, the classroom is a community where each child is respected for the person they are and already loved for who they will be. They are taught many things within this community with the hopes of making them productive, educated citizens. To empower children and to respect their rights, in turn empowers the adult they will become. We can teach our generations to be yes-people or we can inspire them to be leaders who question with a critical mind and love with a compassionate heart. The greatest honor a teacher could ever have bestowed on them is not an award you put on a wall or a golden apple on your desk. Teachers’ greatest gift is making a difference, to inspire change that starts from within and radiates out. This is why I go back every day. i wish you were in my class, scottbell.

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i beg to differ

Dec 30, 2011 3:12:59 PM

i do not think children would make it about recess and lunch. children are bright. when given a problem to solve, they are amazing. sometimes they are better at generating ideas than adults. they may be limited in experience but they are not limited by society's boundaries like adults are. children do place value on education. when children are respected, heard, and loved they will blow your mind with the amount of maturity they possess. i personally prefer to eat lunch with my students than other teachers. why? their conversations have more substance. kids are raw and real. adults need to really consider growing down and stop asking kids to grow up.

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reflective measures

Dec 30, 2011 3:59:39 PM

yes, once we do it for ourselves. to know yourself is to know others. this takes reflective measures. it is easier to judge someone than to take time to understand them. to understand, you have to look deep into your self and find some sort of thread that ties you to the other. you have to ask yourself why you feel the way you do and where does it stem from. deeply understanding and accepting who you are and why you do things, will lead you to understanding/accepting others. f "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." — John F. Kennedy

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thank you

Jan 4, 2012 10:26:58 PM

thank you for sharing both your knowledge and your experience. I agree fully that children living in poverty in the states have less opportunity. matter of fact, i feel they have all the odds against them. the town i teach has the same history as the one you described from your childhood. business left and took along opportunity. i am glad that you had the opportunity to change your life into what makes you happy. i like simplicity also. putting aside the causes of the poverty and the history of the area, i want to dig deeper into how i/we can make an impact on these children that will last. thai, to me you are a success story. could you think back to your teachers and tell me how they made an impact on you? or how they didn't."

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apple doesn't fall far...

Jan 4, 2012 10:37:54 PM

yes, doc, i agree. i had a parent come in half drunk. her child has both behavioral and emotional problems. it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know why. her child is a good kid, he just uses behavior that has helped him survive this far. i think it is the teacher's job to try to make subjects and topics authentic to kids. if we can enrich and tie the content to the student's life, then they won't ask that question. some topics are hard to link to their lives, but it is worth the effort and creative thinking to do so. when students feel a connection to the knowledge presented, it sticks.

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