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FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Not Always What It Appears

There is one student that I remember from last year,very smart and talented. Her mother is constantly checking on her and ready to help when she can. This particular student did not do well on the final exam last year. Her mother called me, very upset, remarking that she found very difficult to believe that her daughter could get such a grade. I am coming to the assumption in a moment. The student was asked, what happened. Her reply puzzled me for a while; " I am tired".
Now the same student is in my class this year. She still professes that her goal is to become doctor. The assumption that I made is that she really wants to become a doctor. When asked, she has all the right answers. But she only does what is minimally required. She does not listen in class because she believes she already knows the answers. Her actions do not line up with the desired goals. In fact from listening to her mother, I understand that to become a doctor is really her mother's goal.
This young lady has family support, good grades and very active in school but she does not have passion for the profession. I assumed that when you have the resources that a student will succeed or wants to succeed. What I see is that no matter if the student is surrounded by resources, if they do not have the passion or dedication than you cannot make them into something they are not. I had the connection all wrong. It is not the resouces that ultimately will lead to a student's success, but the student has to to have a desire to meet their own goals. No matter what I see in a student, I cannot do it for them. Like this young lady, her mom is doing all the work; she on the other hand, watches the work being done.

2 comments:

Becky said...

I totally agree with you Freda! I had a kid just today that told me he wanted to go into construction but his mom wants him to be a dentist. He is a senior already and has no direction. I try to expose him to as much as possible so he can make an informed decision. Some of these parents need to realize that a kid cannot be made to go into something they hate. I also hate the fact that counselors place kids in our classes tring to make them "find something they like". Students usually have a pretty good idea of what they like.

donna bresnan said...

Wow Freda, you really hit the nail on the head with this comment. I don't believe I have every heard this "all too often" dynamic between a parent and child expressed so well. You know, as a parent it is hard to find a balance between encouragement and enablement. Many parents want their child to succeed so much that they will actually do the work for the child thinking they are helping when in essence they are doing their children a grave disservice.