“Reaching one’s potential to learn depends so much on the relationships between the people involved, not so much on the content of what is being taught.” (pg 161)
I love this! I need to cross stitch this on a pillow, embroider it on an blanket or paint, frame, and hang it over my desk. Or perhaps Ill write it on my mirror so I can read it every morning!
Any teacher that goes down in my memory as a good one, or one that I have learned a lot from, was a teacher with whom I was safe and connected. It is not just about giving “warm fuzzies” either. It is about being intentional and particular about what you are celebrating in a child. They know when you are being generic and “just like every other adult”. The art of making a connection with a child is about telling the child that “I SEE YOU”. It is celebrating a child in a way that brings out a strength that is beyond a surface awareness. That you SEE them for who they are, beyond whoever they are putting out in the world. (This is especially useful with kids who are typically in trouble.) SEEING a kid, I believe, is one of the biggest motivations that a kid can get from an adult. It can help them rise to being the kid that you SEE inside them, and not the one that they are choosing to show you at the time.
Hale does an excellent job in demonstrating that the art of giving a strength is not just about being positive. It is about SEEING a child and letting them know that you SEE them!
Beautiful. Consider me inspired!
"Reaching one’s potential to learn depends so much on the relationships between the people involved, not so much on the content of what is being taught.” (pg 161)
ReplyDeleteAs I read these last few chapters, this was one line that I highlighted. I think it is great that you took it one step further to explain how important it is for a teacher to see, not just notice, the true potential of a student.
This concept reminds me of the Armstrong teacher's panel we attended. One recommendation a teacher had was that when all of your efforts are not working to manage the behavior of a child, work on your relationship with that child. I believe that this attitude is the reason that this teacher is being recognized as an exceptional teacher.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Molly! When I read your post it reminded me of what so many of the Armstrong teachers said today in the classroom management panel.
ReplyDeleteI was also reminded of the Armstrong panel. Though the theme of the panel was classroom management it could just as easily have been relationship building. "... The emotional aspect of teaching can either impede learning or cause it to flourish." Hale's conference transcripts reveal a confidant or collaborator relationship between teacher and student.
ReplyDeleteI highlighted this line as well. In early childhood ed we're taught that you can't discipline a child until you've built a relationship with that child. We're talking about learning opportunity discipline, not punishment, just for clarification. That's why I've always found it easier to work with children I know no matter how rowdy they are than children I've just met no matter how meek.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, Amy! I think that this one line combined with your explanation basically capture the essence of Hale's philosophy as a whole.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great summation of the ideas Hale has put forth in her book! SEEING is really what its all about. Seeing what is good, why it is good, what a child's potential is and letting that child know that you see it. This is the way they can see that same potential in themselves through the bond they build with the teacher as a partner in literacy and in the classroom.
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