(Creating A Respectful and Responsive Educational System)
Dr. Duane Hodgin, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Support Services
Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township
"National School District of Character"
January, 2009
(No. 5)
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
While many of us talk about “New Year Resolutions,” most of which we do not keep, effective teachers focus on the research-based “Four R’s” – Relationships – Respect – Relevance – Rigor…
-- Teaching is about first building Relationships with your students. When relationships are built, Respect and trust will usually follow.
-- Relevance is about making the subject content meaningful and engaging students in learning.
-- Rigor is raising expectations for all students. It involves teaching the students to think for themselves and to be able to problem solve.
The truly effective teacher is able to master these principals and deliver them to all of their students.
WHAT TEN THINGS STUDENTS SAY THEY DON’T LIKE ABOUT SOME OF THEIR TEACHERS
· Boring/lecture too much.
· Don’t involve the students or ask their opinions.
· Not approachable.
· Not available.
· Insincerity
· Not willing to be challenged
· Can’t handle discipline problems
· Give too much busy work (especially homework)
· No sense of humor
· Don’t get to know their students
WHAT FIVE THINGS GOOD TEACHERS NEVER DO TO STUDENTS (Of any age)
· Embarrass them (single them out in front of the class)
· Use sarcasm
· Discourage them
· Give up on them
· Stereotype them (race, religion, dress, etc.)
MENTAL SUNSHINE
Dave had to undergo painful throat surgery. Since he made his living as a professional speaker, the experience was frightening and traumatic. He said his surgeon was skilled and the hospital workers were competent, but the cold indifference of the parade of nurses and doctors who came in and out of his room was one of the most depressing, demoralizing, and dehumanizing experiences of his life. They treated his disease rather than treating him as a person with a disease. Although they were assigned to his care, they acted as if they didn’t care. Their behavior was outright toxic.
When professional distance translates to disrespect, it’s a form of malpractice. (True for educators too.) What saved him, Dave said, weren’t the pain-killing drugs but the attitude of a few nurses who uplifted his spirits by simple acts of human decency…a smile, a kind word, a compassionate expression or tone…that conveyed the message that they cared.
We have to love and admire those who can bring their hearts to their work. Mental sunshine is a powerful medicine. (Do you share “mental sunshine” with your students and colleagues?)
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A DRUG PROBLEM OF A DIFFERENT SORT
The other day, someone at a store in a small town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, “Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?” I told him, “I did have a drug problem when I was a kid.”
I was drug to church on Sunday morning.
I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.
I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.
I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink if I uttered a profane four letter word. (I do know what lye soap tastes like.)
I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flowerbeds and cockleburs out of dad’s field.
I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline or chop some fire wood, and if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the wood shed.
Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are much stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> would be a much better place.
-- Anonymous
THE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly.
So I asked, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck.”
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home or one the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so… “Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t.” -- Anonymous