"Have you ever made assumptions about one of your student's or someone else's ability only to learn later that you were inaccurate? On what basis did you make your first judgment and what caused you to change your perspective?"
Picture, a student with sagging pants and his eyebrow's cut up. Then imagine him sitting in you class and giving you one of those "looks"..you know the kind of look as if he was sizing you up.
"Great!" I said to myself.
Well he has turned out to be one of my brightness students. He join my Skills USA Criminal Justice Club, and told me that we were going to nationals. He always have a positive attitude, and when I learned that his sister was raising him because his mother passed away some years ago then I knew he was truly a "diamond in the rough."
What I enjoy most about life, is that I'm still learning. I pray that never stops.
Great comment Sabrina we have to first read the book then make a judgment. I have had some "diamonds" in my class also and they are few and far between.
ReplyDeleteOne of my students has an IEP but is an extremely hard worker with good knife skills and if he continues to practice can be an asset on our competition teams.
Keep hunting for diamonds.
Sabrina,
ReplyDeleteI have also made an assumption about this young man who use to hang out in front of the salon where I work with his sagging pants. I would frown every time I pulled up to the shop and would see him sitting in front of the barber shop smoking a black-n-mild cigar writing in a pad and patting his feet and bopping his head like he heard some music. I asked the owner who was this kid in front of the shop and she said "he's a barber". That was a suprise but that still did not change the way I felt about him and I did'nt even know him. I would not even speak to him or give him the opportunity to speak to me. I just assumed he was a drug dealer on the down low using barbering as a cover up. I was so wrong about this youn man. One day he came into the salon and he said to the other laadies in the salon " I came to say good-bye"
and I thought good he's leaving. He peep in my room and said good-bye Miss Val. I did'nt even know he knew my name,so I said where are you going and he said "I have been accepted into Morehouse College. WOW! I felt worse than I have ever felt in my life. He had completed two years at a local college waiting to get accepted into Morehouse and he was a writer. I thought he was writing a rap what do I know, so you're right I'm still learning too, and I've changed tremendously. I apologize to this young man and told him I was wrong about him, and I wish him the best and gave him a donation.