Teaching the Tough

Ever since becoming a teacher, I have found myself asking for students that struggle with other teachers and authority figures.  It maybe because in another life, as a past career, I was a child psychotherapist that worked with the most troubled kids including gang members...or, I just really like a challenge.

I find that these students all tend to share one thing in common- they are missing something in their lives.  They are missing parents, a home, love, a sense of belonging, a sense of success, confidence, self-esteem, friends, and the list goes on.  Something is missing.

Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what they are needing from their teacher.  Although, I have found that many of my peers have kept their distance and went to some extreme measures to keep these students out of their classrooms.  As a middle school teacher, teaching in Teams...so to speak, I have made my share of enemies by requesting the type of student that I am talking about to be in my class.  If they were in my class, they would have to be in the classes of the rest of the team.

So...I eat my lunch in my classroom and don't spend time in the teacher's lounge anymore.

What it the answer then?

Care.

Care enough to work with the student and figure out what is missing.  Often, the student doesn't even know-yet.

But if this is our focus and we meet the student with a level of empathy and compassion, not sympathy... If we treat the student as a human with feelings and not as a pile of behaviors... If we try to help our students to get on the path to replace what is missing within them...

We might just help a student find their academic self-esteem enough to let go of the anger and hurt.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites