Thursday, May 19, 2011
End of year anxiety
This year I have 7 seniors on my case load, and 6 of the 7 have already been accepted to post-secondary programs or enlisted in the military. I think they are all starting to feel some anxiety though about leaving high school and moving on to the unknown. When they walked in the doors on the 1st day of their 10th grade year, many of them probably weren't thinking about what they really needed to do to walk out of here with as much as they possibly could on that last day of their senior year. We really do have so much to offer them, but for some of them they realize it too late. This is a really good group of kids, sure they had many struggles, but I still don't think they took much time to look at "the big picture" as they went through high school. Did we, when we were their age? I often think about what the kids were like in my high school and what was I like at their age. What was different for me and how can I help these kids reach their full potential and push them to do their best? I am feeling some anxiety for these kids as well. Did I help them build enough of the skills they are going to need to be successful adults in school and in life? I know that the responsibility did not lie solely on me, but I've worked very closely with them for 3 years. Although I am excited for them to move on, I am definitely sad to see them go.
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Did I help them build enough of the skills they are going to need to be successful adults in school and in life?
ReplyDeleteThis is the same question I wonder when students leave my classroom and I mimic your thoughts about seeing them leave. It’s the end of the year and while I can’t wait to wish them on the merry way, I hate to see them go. What a bittersweet reality.
And I think…man oh man, there is so much in life to cover and prepare for. I’ve taught independent living before and I’m pretty sure there isn’t enough time to teach everything But, I think what we do as educators is to help students play the cards they are dealt whatever kind of hand it happens to be.
Think about all the things you do every day that they’ve been witness to – the please’s, thank you’s, would you mind..., etc. Everyday we demonstrate (consciously and subconsciously) to them how to deal with stress, how to effectively work with other people (who may even anger us at times) and how to be professional.
I think it’s all the small things we do each day and how we show them we carry ourselves in a variety of situations that have a lasting impact. I still remember when I was in high school and a substitute teacher in our AP Lit class lost her mind….screamed at us, slammed the door and walked out. My thought was…”whoa, this lady is nuts and that was definitely not professional…..we just didn’t know where we were in the Shakespeare tape”.
I do think my content is important as is all the other content areas in the school. Ideally, I would like them to retain most of the information. However, in 10 or 20 years, I’d much rather have a student tell me how they learned to be a thoughtful (or caring, or sharing, or teamworker, or just well-rounded) person in my class rather than telling me the big 6 categories of nutrients in a book. I would rather have them say they learned how to better prepare for tests or read a book because of the strategies we tried. Or even they learned the value in working together as a group. Because it’s these character traits that they will carry with them in life and they might not even realize it.
Or, at least I hope so!
I have been thinking this same way but in a slightly different way since I teach 8th and 9th grades.
ReplyDeleteIn 8th grade health and in 9th grade PE, I so wish they would be able to see the big picture....why an educated decision is so important. I always ask them, "What would you have if I took your health away from you today?" Most of them reflect with well thought answers. But sometimes I wonder if their answers are just what they think I want to hear.
My old students who are now at the High School tell me how easy it is to get any kind of drug and how I would never believe the kids who are doing hard core drugs. It makes me think what could I do differently in my classroom to help curve this trend. What would really impact them, so it would stay with them? I try to step into their shoes, but drugs were never a huge thing in my school growing up. Why don't they think of their future and what a huge decision it is?
This year, recovering drug addicts come in for 2 days. They told their stories and talked with the kids. Each quarter the kids have been amazed and give really good feedback. Will this experience stick with them or leave them too?
I guess it is all part of living and learning, but sometimes bad decisions don't allow you to have a second chance.