Below is our newsletter for this week. Remember, we are not the end-all, be-all! We are just teachers
sharing our thoughts and ideas with you. Feel free to modify strategies you receive from us to fit you
and your classroom!
====================================== Idea Share
======================================
As a teacher on a military base, we are constantly faced with the behavior changes caused by parents
coming and going to the field for training or being deployed to war zones. Moving to a new base is also a
stressor, compounded by the fact that the family's personal goods are often in storage and the hold of
some boat for three to four MONTHs, so they are living out of a suitcase with minimum supplies, computer
access, resources, etc. for weeks at a time on each end of the move, to say nothing of the time missed in
the actual move and associated leave time. When parents are preparing for, on R&R from, or just returned
from a deployment, they may take a several-week leave with their children, causing them to miss more
school. With many Reservists also serving overseas, teachers in any school should keep in touch with
families to know if any of these factors could be causing undo stress in their students. The Military
Child Education Coalition is an excellent source of information: http://www.militarychild.org/
Thanks, Janet
=================================== The Truth About Teaching
===================================
One of the top three finalists in the Benjamin Franklin Book of the Year Award!
In her own unique and witty style Coleen Armstrong exposes the harsher realities of teaching often left
unsaid and ignored, and weaves them with words of comfort, encouragement, and advice. The Truth About
Teaching expresses the heartwarming, sometimes tragic, and often humorous thoughts and stories of this
31-year veteran teacher. It is a testimony to the fact that reassurance comes from the knowledge that you
are not alone.
Clicking on the above links will take you to an information page about this newest award-winning title
available from Inspiring Teachers. View sample pages and read what others have to say about The Truth
About Teaching
============= Weekly Tip
=============
Influences and Strategies - Part II
Last week we discussed how parenting styles and home influences affect student behavior. Again, this is
only one element in the overall picture of developing student behaviors. Another element is past
experiences in school. Depending on the kind of experience a child has had in the past with other
teachers, he/she will develop a set of assumptions about future teachers. This preconceived notion is
something that will either help make your job a little easier or will be something you have to work to
change.
Elementary teachers, especially in the earlier years, may not have as many issues with this as will middle
school and high school teachers because their students have not been exposed to as many different teaching
styles and personalities. Intermediate elementary and older students have a higher potential for having
negative experiences in school. These negative experiences color their attitudes toward teachers and
school in general.
Unfortunately, it is very possible that you may get a student in your class who has experienced racism,
harsh criticism, and other hurts from a teacher in their past. While we hate to think that another teacher
could have behaved so negatively towards a child/adolescent, we are human. It is not easy to get along
with everyone and personality conflicts happen. Also, our own "baggage" influences our attitudes and
behaviors towards students. This can have a negative impact on our students if we do not monitor ourselves
carefully. It is a very difficult line that we walk and one that has consequences for both the student and
future teachers of that student.
Other students may not have experienced emotional hurts, but mental ones in terms of their ability to
perform in class. While these are not necessarily the fault of previous teachers, the ultimate result is a
student who is unwilling to put time and effort into his or her work. This self-concept of failure is then
either supported or negated by current and future teacher attitudes and actions. If the student gets a
teacher who continues to treat him as incompetent, then his negative self-image is further strengthened.
If the student gets a teacher who helps him overcome his issues and works to emphasize other positive
abilities, then his negative self-image begins a transformation into a more positive one.
You may also get a student who has experienced both negative emotional and mental hurts from previous
teachers and schools. This is a double-whammy that will take a lot of work to reverse. What can you do to
help these students change their negative mind-set? Below are a few tips:
-Be upfront with student regarding your beliefs and behaviors. Let them know what to expect from you. You
need to let students know that you are different from any other teacher they've had in the past.
-Be vocal about your determination to not pre-judge students based on their past actions and performance.
Let them know that they have a fresh start in your classroom and that your attitude and actions towards
each student will be based on their behavior towards you. In return, ask students that they not pre-judge
you until they've gotten to know you better.
-Provide an area where students can calm down if they've had a bad class, an issue with another student,
or even just a bad day. I call my area "Australia" from the book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day." If I notice that someone in class is having a "bad day," then I suggest they visit
Australia until he/she feels more calm. This gives the student a chance to unwind before starting to
interact with the rest of the class. While the student may miss five minutes or so of the beginning of
class, it saves time in the long run when I do not have to constantly reprimand and redirect student
behavior.
-When a student seems discouraged about his/her abilities, take the time to point out the strengths of
this student. Help each student see the positive rather than focusing on negatives.
-When you see a student excel in anything within your class, jump on it and go overboard with your
enthusiastic praise. While it may seem silly and the student may laugh at your antics, he/she will take
your positive words and actions to heart.
-Be encouraging when work is not going well for students. Again, be enthusiastic in your encouragement.
Use direct eye contact to impress upon the student that you mean what you say.
I recently read an article about early readers that showed a direct correlation between the enthusiasm of
the parents/guardians when young children read words correctly and the child's ability and desire to
continue reading. Children who read daily with parents but did not receive effusive praise and
encouragement still struggled in both decoding words and comprehension. However, those who received
enthusiastic praise from parents excelled in reading abilities and desire to read on their own. As human
beings, we are motivated by praise, but we are highly motivated by enthusiastic praise and
encouragement.
Remember this and do not be afraid to go overboard in your efforts to encourage and lift up those students
who may be stumbling. Also, as I stated in the last newsletter, taking the time to build a positive
relationship with students will go a long way towards overcoming negative student behaviors, no matter
what the cause. Continue in your efforts to relate to each and every student as an individual and to show
you care.
Want to respond and share your thoughts about how you understand and deal with student misbehaviors?
Respond to this email and we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
====================== Inspirational Thought
======================
Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to
success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and
every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.
~John Keats (1795 - 1821)
====================== Thoughts for Reflection
======================
Think back to your own school experiences? Which teachers left a positive imprint on you? Which teachers
left a negative imprint on you? What was the difference between these? Which had the most impact on your
life, the positive or the negative? Now think about yourself in the classroom. What kind of past
experience "baggage" do you bring to the classroom that may affect your attitude and actions toward
students? Do you feel your own past experiences affect your actions towards particular students? Why or
why not? Do you ever recognize when this "baggage" is affecting you in the classroom? How does this make
you feel? Does the recognition help you adjust how you react? How do you modify your own behaviors and
"knee-jerk" reactions, if at all? What kind of affect do you think your attitudes and actions are having
on your students? Is this affect positive or negative? Are you happy with the image/understanding of you
your students walk away with after leaving your classroom? Why or why not? What can you do to change this?
How do you want students to interact with you? What makes that interaction possible/impossible? What kind
of legacy do you feel you are leaving inside of each student by the end of the school year? What kind of
legacy do you want to leave inside of each student when they move on to the next grade level?
=========== Feedback
===========
Want to respond and share your thoughts about how you understand and deal with student misbehaviors?
Respond to this email and we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
------------------------------------
These thoughts and ideas are brought to you by Emma McDonald co-author of Survival Kit for New
teachers AND the AWARD WINNING Classrooms that SPARK. Find us at
The entire contents of this e-zine are Copyrighted by Inspiring Teachers and Emma McDonald. If you would
like
to reprint all or parts of this e-zine, please contact Inspiring Teachers at 972-496-7633 or toll-free at
1-877-496-7633 or via email to info@inspiringteachers.com