The kids at Whitney Pt. are warming up to me!

When I was observing at Whitney Point on Tuesday, my host teacher ran to the copy room to pick up something, leaving me alone in the empty room (it was her free period) to grade papers. I was grading thier vocabulary quizzes, which I actually find really fun, when a student came in. She asked me where her teacher was because she needed to ask her about work she had missed. I told her that the teacher was in the copy room, but that she would return shortly. I was surprised when the student sat down next to me and told me personal information about her life. She told me about some family problems she is having right now and how it made her break last week really hard and almost unbearable. While I was sad for her, I was SO happy that she felt comfortable sharing her problems with me. I told her that when things are bad, they always get better eventually. She agreed and went on to tell me about how much fun she had in the school play. I think that I helped her to look at things in a positive way. I realized that students, especially adolescents, have alot going on in their lives and it doesn’t hurt to listen. Sometimes knowing that a teacher cares can help students want to put forth more effort in the classroom. I look forward to forming these positive relationships with other students!!

Stacia