Bond With your Students
"Through drill and memorization, we can get students to complete assignments and pass tests. But there is a price to pay for such short-term accomplishment."
One of my biggest fears as a teacher is that I am not letting my students think out of the box, or for themselves. I forget that for students to thank for themselves they must become confident in themselves as learners. In order for them to become confident we must "reach into our students' hearts." (Routman 12) Routman says "No one talks about bonding, and we need to." I think we constantly talk about bonding and making relationships with our students. Teachers know they need to have a bond to to reach their students. The question is are we really listening and connecting with our students, are we making them want to become life long learners?
I have a student who reads on a kindergarten level and she constantly says "I can't read." I never know how to reply to her but we have worked together on not saying those words. I do know that she will shut down and not want to learn to read unless I find books that are her "just right books." I loved how Routman promised the students she was working with would be able to read their "We Can" book by the end of the week. I think this would be a great idea to use with students who are struggling to grasp onto strategies they may not be ready for.
Studies show that "teacher/student bonding" is an integral part of student success. In reality, I do not respond well to people I don't like or I don't think like me. It is the same for 2nd graders . . . . or 7th graders. It is so important for us to find ways to connect to our students on some level.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you are already seeing the importance of that. I know that your student who reads on a kindergarten level appreciates your encouragement and your desire to find a book that will work for her. As a result, she will be successful because she knows you are on her side. I love the "we can" phrase, too. It is a positive switch from some other phrases we use - like "below level" or "on level." Great way to encourage students to read books that are right for them!
Ah, your little friend stole my heart! It's always so interesting to me to hear kids say "I can't read." Where are they receiving these messages? I've had kids as young as FOUR tell me that! My heart always skips a beat, and then I try to validate that there are lots of different kinds of reading--we can read pictures, we can tell stories, we can read printed text, we can read media. You can be her reading champion!!
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