The Dropped Tray - Casey 11/4/14

First of all, so sorry for the late response - last week, I was at a conference and relatively unplugged with no student engagement. I'm going to reflect on one of my most unexpected moments. I had an 8th grade student who was sitting silent lunch for choosing not to complete a project in my class. I had determined that he was going to sit in silent lunch until that project was finished (which was probably going to be the rest of our term). We were all eating lunch when a young girl dropped her tray. She was horrified, and I know she was on the verge of tears. My boy who was sitting silent lunch immediately jumped up to her call and cleaned up the mess on the floor. This gesture alone caught me off guard, but what truly amazed me was when he walked her tray up to the tray return for her. Immediately, I had him sit with his classmates and took away the silent lunch. I truly believe this is the exact moment where I reached my first student where he was in life. I was fresh into teaching and still struggled understanding 8th graders, but I could understand this gesture. I think this is the moment I believed that my students are actually human beings who will generally make the right decision when faced with it. I love my students. I love getting caught off guard. I love a little jolt. I love the unexpected. I love teaching.