Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Eating Crow
Easier done while still warm. Today I realized that in my enthusiasm to 'DO' a good job at school, I am pushing one of the students hard enough that he feels like I am the bully. Damn. I pondered how this came to be and realized he was right. I was focused on results instead of on the kid. Deep breath. Students are more important than results. They deserve my encouragement but not my condemnation. Tricky thing to do with teenagers.
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2 comments:
Okay, I'm endeavoring to visualize you bullying. I can't see you going all drill sergeant or Chef Ramsey. I can't see you yelling or calling him names. I can see you pushing for more than he thinks he can give, but that isn't bullying. That's what teachers do.
"Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual."
I can see you impatient, but impatience isn't bullying unless it devolves into the above definition. I'm only mentioning this because you tend to be really hard on yourself and hold an impossibly perfect standard of expected behavior. I've noticed it's really easy to push you to accept responsibility for behavior you're afraid of doing. Doesn't mean you did it. Love you.
I'm glad I got your message, Judy, before I talked to the student. I did apologize for pushing too hard and gave him permission to tell me if I am pushing him too hard. Worked out an assignment that worked for him. Learning as I go.
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