Blog Post #4
Kyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteWatching this video made me feel eager to do this in my classroom with my students. I began to think about how I can do this with my students and when. I would want to do this with my students to reach my students that aren't not as comfortable sharing aloud. This is a great way to learn more about each of our students and know what are students could be struggling with outside of school. To learn more about my students, I engage in conversations with my students, but also, I am able to learn about my students in their writing. In first grade, students write about things that they like to do, their family, and other topics. With that, I am able to read their writing and have a conversation with them about their piece of writing.
Emily Benvenga
ReplyDeleteI felt humbled watching this. I feel like I do remember a lot that we really don't know what people are going through, but not often enough. I would definitely give this assignment to my students! I love short and simple assignments especially if they are personal because for a lot of us, it is easier opening up a little bit at a time. I give my students a beginning of the course survey asking if there is anything they would like me to know, but I am definitely going to reword that to say write down one sentence you would like me to know to make it more digestible.
Ouch, that hurts my heart. I teach in a small christian school and I feel I know each one of my students families because we all go to church together. I feel like I know them each well enough to know about their family lives. I think I would like to try this assignment, but I am not 100% sure about that yet. I will have to think about it and run it by fellow teachers and gather their thoughts about doing this and how to approach it correctly and in a postive way. I would hope that they outcome would be a positive experience.
ReplyDeleteKyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteThis assignment is touching - and powerful if students take it seriously and are vulnerable with their response. I might give this same assignment to my students - but I can see high schoolers writing something silly or inappropriate and turning the exercise into something I would regret. That said, there would still be a few students who would put an honest answer that would help me better understand my students.
What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
I have an "about me" /Student Survey assignment at the beginning of each quarter (my classes reset each quarter/new students, new classes) - this allows me to see my students via their own self expression - with the answers they share with the questions they choose to write about, and the way they design their assignment. Additionally, in the art room, personal connection through their interests is always encouraged when working on their projects - so I am able to see "who they are" in this way too.
Thinking about what students may be going through is a very eye opening experience. I have had students that I know are going through a lot. I can see that they are struggling because they don't have the support at home or they have had to move in with family that isn't mom and dad because mom and dad aren't around. What worries me is not knowing how many students are dealing with issues. Some kids are better at hiding issues than others. This question reminds my of the book Tiger Rising. In the book the main character's mom died of cancer so it is just his dad and him. They are barely making it by and the boy refers to his suitcase of not-thoughts. Things he doesn't want to think about because they are hard topics. I once gave an assignment to students after reading about his suitcase. I asked what thoughts may be in their suitcase. I also think asking this question would be super beneficial or something even as simple as having students place a sticky note on a how are you feeling chart could really help teachers understand their students better. Very powerful thoughts came from this video.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this TED talk, I definitely feel like I could challenge our teachers to ask our students this. I do want to want to note, I don't feel like this would be a good question to ask in the beginning of the school year. This would be best used in second semester, where the teacher has connection/rapport with his/her students. I think this is a powerful tool, when students answer honestly and openly. Either way the follow-up is crucial to be powerful for the student and teacher, whether that is involving a school counselor, talking with a parent/guardian and/or just following up with the teacher. The step after asking the question is just as important and powerful for this to be an effective tool!
ReplyDeleteI've never officially given this assignment, but I do something fairly similar. Each week, students write journal responses online that go directly to me, and I make it my goal to respond and write comments to each student individually. I learn so much information from these assignments, and many times I ask open-ended questions such as "If you had the chance to say it, what would you want Mrs. T to know about this?" Students know I read the responses, and it gives me talking points to get to know them. I'm also able to provide information to my team of teachers about individual kids and they're usually shocked with the amount of info I bring that they weren't aware of before.
ReplyDeleteThis video gave me an array of emotions. Such a simple task can really tell you a lot about a student and how they are feeling. In the beginning of the year I do a traditional index card "get to know me" the students must write down their name, hobby, favorite food, goal for school and a personal goal. I really try to use these to remember names, faces and something about them to start off the year right. At the end of the semester I have them write down one thing they wish they would have learned in health class. I really try my best to get to know each of my students, I try to do this by picking on them to share an answer or read. I feel like i could 100% challenge teachers in my building to ask their students this. I might even try to do it this year!
ReplyDeleteThis video related to the book we’re reading because they both encourage us to better understand who we’re talking to. One way is by knowing what they’re going through so we can communicate with them more effectively. Schwart’s emphasized that we aren’t just teaching subjects out of a book but we are important influential people in student’s lives who teach them more skills than what’s in the curriculum. In PE class I don’t give out assignments but after learning about how important it is for students to be heard, it might be beneficial to give them a platform to express anything they feel they need to.
ReplyDeleteWhat Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteI actually do this exercise. Watching this video I was reaffirmed in my doing this. Daily as a bell ringer, I do questions about them. My students often race into class because they want to know what the question of the day is. What is your favorite candy bar? and can you eat it on ice cream? if so what kind of ice cream? What is your favorite thing to eat at home and who cooks it. And on and on 180 questions we go through in the year. But the one that I throw in on repeat is " I wish my teacher knew". My students will answer this with their whole heart. I have had responses like " I wish my teacher knew she is the only reason I come to school". " I wish my teacher knew that I hate math, so so so much. Not you, but math"... "I wish my teacher knew that I know our personalities dont mesh, But I hope she will give me a chance" <--- This was one of my hardest pills to swallow, because the student thought I wasnt going to "give them a chance" Because she wasnt into the things I was into and she was a very sarcastic child. It allowed me to know that she honestly did want to do well and me to give her my all, even if we werent going to be the best of friends.
This was a great video that shares the importance of how one question can make such a difference with how you connect with students. I often ask questions like this whenever I meet new students as it's a great way to get to know them and they love answering questions like that. Whether it's questions like "what's your favorite tv show?", "What is your favorite summer activity?", or "If you could have any super power for a day, what would it be and why?". These questions help create that sense or safety and trust within the counseling room as students gradually feel more comfortable with me when we talk about their interests, strengths, likes/dislikes, etc. It also helps create that foundation of your rapport with each student as it can contribute to further interactions with them, aid in their academic/emotional growth, and help foster that sense of trust within the school.
ReplyDeleteI am such a deeply feeling person in general. Not to be dramatic but this TED Talk touched my soul. In the business of teaching, meetings, curriculum, copies, planning, demands on us, it is easy to forget that the absolute most important role we have is to be a teacher, cheerleader, and trusted adult. Many of my students do not have this in their home life. I think this happens way more than we realize. I have done this assignment with my students before and the answers were deeply moving. I plan on doing this same assignment this week with my Second Graders. Let us never forget the reason we teach. Connection with our students. We can impact them for life, positively or negatively, let that sink in.
ReplyDeleteKyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteI felt heartbroken for those students.
I would absolutely give this assignment to my students if I had lessons to teach.
I think it is so important to know what students are going through outside of the school day. I do feel that I could implement this in my room on a daily basis. I could put a little station somewhere around my room that students could utilize if there is something going on they want me to know about. If something happened at home/work/before/after school and it might affect their focus it would be nice to know that so I don't push buttons that don't need pushing. I run a
"tight ship" in my classroom and my principals refer to it as the TLC Zone (Tough Love Central). Ultimately I am here to help students even when they might not believe it or understand it.
I remember the first time I heard that saying, "I wish my teacher knew I didn't have a pencil at home to do my homework." I thought, "wow, I hadn't even considered that." In my first couple years of teaching, I recall getting frustrated with a student for using pen on his homework. I hadn't heard this saying yet, and I was young, and clearly not wise enough to be compassionate with this young boy. When it occured again with another student a couple years later though, I'd heard this and it had an impact. The context behind how many things we don't know about our students was strong. I was much more empathetic to students in the future, even sending home pencils to keep in backpacks, or if they brought it back in pen, I simply thanked them for completing the work.
ReplyDeleteThis year I started something with my 2nd grade class that I've always wanted to do, but scheduling or my fear of administration seeing it as a waste of time, hindered me. We do a morning meeting with a song to start our day and take a temperature check. Most days I allow any and all students who want to share about their day, weekend, evening to do so. This has brought me closer to my students, and also allowed students to feel comfortable sharing about their lives at home and trust me. It's brought a few unfortunate stories out, but I've been able to help those students better by knowing as well. This morning routine is something I'd like to continue doing in future years as well..
Not anonymous: Kayla O.
DeleteThis whole video gave me chills and brought me back to so many moments I had in the classroom. I did this exact same thing in my classroom. I would leave a stack of these pieces of paper that said "I wish my teacher knew..." and they could finish the sentence and either hand it to me or they knew they could just slip it in my one drawer of my desk at any point and I would always look for notes at the end of the day. Other times, I would hand one out to everyone. Some students would put simple things and others would put heavy on the heart comments. I think the most important part of my slips of paper was at the bottom I had a "I want to talk to my teacher about this" and they would circle yes or no. Some students just needed to be able to tell me about a situation so I could understand what is going on, but preferred to not discuss it. Other students wanted to discuss what they wrote down but they felt more comfortable if I was able to approach them and start the conversation about it. I believe this was a huge piece of me being able to connect with my students and they felt comfortable sharing things they maybe otherwise wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteHow did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteWatching this video made my heart hurt for all those student who are going through challenges and not able to voice it aloud. Yet, I was moved by the remembering of how important what we do as teachers is and building a community and safe place for these students to learn is so important.
I feel like this is an assignment I would like to give to my students at different times throughout the year as a check in with the students. I feel like things change in our students lives that this will help us know of ways to build a safe place for them to learn. It is hard for us to know what these students are going through especially when some are going through some adult challenges as young kids.
I would like to give this type of assignment 3 times in a year, but changing it slightly each time. So the end of the year I am asking them to tell the teacher one thing they wish they could do with their life. Give those students something they can dream for and also find out what drives them. With all three of these assignments throughout the year we, as teachers, can see what struggles the students have, anything they absolutely want us to know, and their dreams.
How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteThis video just reinforced that relationships are so important and essential. Everyone goes through so many struggles in life. Our students have so much going on at home that we don't know about. If you don't have a relationship with the students, they are not going to feel comfortable relaying information that this. I have done the one sentence activity in my class before and its a mixture of responses. I get bare answers or I get in depth answers. I usually do this at the beginning of the semester, but I think this would work better after my students have been in the classroom for awhile. Most of my students will answer in the beginning of the semester about how they learn best. This is one downfall of being a high school teacher is that I don't have my students for very long. Once we have established a relationship, students are more willing to share more about themselves. Another assignment I have given my students my students is for them to create an all about me page. It's a intro into my class so that I can see what we have in common to also start building that relationship.
I have seen these "What I wish My Teacher Knew" notes before. Every time, it saddens me and makes me want to cry. I am not sure I would want to do this assignment with my students because I am afraid of what some of their responses would be. I already have certain students that come to me with issues in their life, some bad and some really bad, and I want to fix all of their problems for them. I could only image if I had all my students write something that was just as heartbreaking as the ones in the Ted Talk. I might never come back to work because I would want to cry, hold them, and tell them that everything is going to be ok.
ReplyDeleteI have done the "what I wish my teacher knew" notes, usually at the beginning of the year to get to know them and I was stunned at the things kids told me and they didn't even know me then. I learned that asking further in the year is more beneficial because of the relationships that I have built and the trust they have in me. It always breaks my heart to see such sad thing that our students experience but if I can help them to heal, I am all for it.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video I sit back and think about my own students. These young students have more obstacles and burdens then we know. Most of my students don't come from a 2 parent household, they don't go on luxurious vacations and they don't get everything they want. A lot of the times adults think "they are kids, what stress can they have?" After watching the video, it is clear that students have more stress than we'd like to accept. My heart breaks knowing we expect so much from our students and some aren't able to meet our expectations because they are drowning in home life stress. It truly makes me so upset and I challenge myself to put myself in my student's shoes and try to see where they are coming from.
DeleteI would love to give this assignment to my students. I think my eyes would be opened to see what my students really are thinking and experiencing. Even with 1st grade, if they aren't confident writers, they could draw and label pictures for things they want me to know.
One "assignment" that I give is at the beginning of each school year. At open house I always have a "get to know me page" where I ask parents to fill out information about their child. This includes their child's likes, dislikes, things I should know, what motivates their child, etc. This gives me a good understanding of who my students are and how they work or what they need to succeed in my classroom.
This Ted talk was both moving and humbling. I felt sadness and gratitude. It reminded me that kids carry so much weight on their shoulders and more luggage than we ever see in the classroom. I also was reminded that teachers are one of the few safe adults that some students encounter daily. Our words, actions, reactions and relationships are so powerful.
ReplyDeleteI would want to give this assignment. It gives the students the opportunity to be heard if they choose. It sends a message that I care about who you are.
I give a questionnaire at the beginning of the school year. I also ask at the bottom of every test if there is anything they want me to know. Bell ringers are usually math related except on the first day of a new unit I might ask a question about their interests.
Sad. This Ted Talk really hits home for a lot of educators. Students have a lot of baggage every single day. Typically the ones with the most baggage are the quietest ones. They are the ones who don't share their feelings or what's on their minds. I teach kindergarten so doing a writing activity like this wouldn't quite work. Even for them to draw it would be difficult cause they usually draw happy pictures. However, just talking with each one of them every single day can make the biggest difference. Just ask how are you doing and give them a chance to share with you. Let them know you care and will be there no matter what. Kindergarten is about making connections and making sure they all feel needed and wanted. Once you gain their respect, everything else falls into place.
ReplyDeleteKyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteThis video was very emotional for me. I think back to when I was a kid, elementary and high school. I could have benefited from something like this. The video made me think about how I interact with some of my students. What I see as jokes between students, may be affecting them more than they let on. I haven't done an assignment like this but during covid I was teaching at a tribal school in which we were online part of the time. Each day for their attendance sign in, one of their questions was asking if there was anything they wanted to tell me, school, family, anything. Most of the students used it to complain about their math assignments. Regardless, I wanted to make myself available for them. This assignment sounds similar to the idea of Cardboard Confessionals by Mitch Reed. Students anonymously answered a variety of questions and put their answer into a cardboard box.
I think this is an amazing idea! I am actually going to try this next week. It is an amazing way to connect with one's students and let them know you care. I have done something a similar. . . I have used mini journals in which I give to each student and the contents are kept private, just between each student and myself. In these journals, I initiate a question and they respond and ask me a question. However, students can, also, write random things that they want me to know about. It has been something that I found is very useful in connecting with students, while practicing some writing skills. I have even told my students that writing can be a way to "vent" or release something that you are worried, concerned, or bothered about. But, this can even be a very impactful as a way to help personally or reach out to others in the community that might be able to help in some way. Moreover, if it is a matter of a child's safety, this writing assignment that she discussed is priceless and can be the catalyst to help a child have a better, healthier, happier life!
ReplyDeleteKyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeletewell - i definitely found it a bit difficult to breathe while watching this video. it's amazing to watch/listen to the entire room go "pin drop" quiet and Kyle even speaks with a very quiet voice to capture the attention of her audience. The notes are genuine - children speak in truths - and they should give pause to all educators to remember our students need to have a safe learning environment where their basic, essential needs are met before any type of educational learning can begin. This should be a simple thing to do - but yet it seems to be the most difficult. I think sometimes teachers get so busy trying to "teach the material" that unfortunately - they forget to "teach the child". yes - i would/have given an assignment like this to students. i think it's important to establish a relationship with each student so they feel validated and respected. i have found that compassion & empathy can indeed be powerful teaching tools & it is important for students to use & develop those qualities as well. it is really not ok for teachers to remain "comfortably disconnected" to their students - being fully presented and being willing to connect and understand a student's world will open the gates of learning for students.
I felt sad watching Kyle's TED Talk. It's hard to hear the realities that some of our students face without us even realizing it. It made me wonder what my students' lives are like outside of my classroom, what the students wish I knew and what the students may be trying to keep a secret.
ReplyDeleteThis is an assignment I would like to do with my students. I think this would be a good thing to do because first of all it helps me to get to know my students better and they may share something that they don't want their classmates to know about them but yet wish their teacher could know. So I appreciate how this activity gives them the opportunity to share things and that the students know they won't be judged or the information won't be share with others. I can be challenging to do this assignment as well. Students, especially younger ones can be brutally honest and we might need extra thick skin for some of the answers. However, I still think the knowledge learned from the activity would far out weigh the potential uncomfortable comments. I really like how Kyle said we're teaching our students holistically. I think that concept is often overlooked and forgotten about.
Something I have done to help me learn more about my students is asking questions (especially during free times such as snack, lunch, recess and after school times), trying to relate to them on their level and their perspective. I have also tried getting to know my students by getting to know their family better and communicating with them outside of the classroom. A student survey has also been helpful in finding out different likes/dislikes etc. that I can use as conversation starters that can lead to additional deeper conversations.
Kyle Schwartz did a great job of presenting "What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew". This video made me reflect more on our struggling students then always concerned about curriculum. These students are struggling with other issues and greatly need to connect in order to achieve in the classroom. I believe it is a very interesting way to connect with students on a deeper more impactful nature. One assignment I might try after watching this video would be a 4-6 sentence or longer about future dreams or goals they would like to share.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video, I thought- how easy but impactful. I would give this assignment to my own students because I think it works on connection and communication. When I was teaching, we did journals a few mornings a week. Tuesdays would be “Tell me Tuesdays”, where students could write anything that came to their mind. On Fridays, we would do “ Prayer Journals” ( I worked at a Christian school). Students would write down their prayers, and if they wanted me to read their journals so I could pray from them,m they would turn the journal in on my desk. It's amazing what some times will say in writing that they would normally say out loud in class!
ReplyDeleteIt was an engaging video. It is easy to get caught up in reaching academic goals, teaching lesson plans and standards. I do take time every Monday to talk with each student about the weekend, what they did, how is their family, is there anything they need to share with me. These conversations have made our classroom a safe space, and students use my room to calm down in , or just to take a break. because we are a caring, respectful room. I really try to be mindful of creating a safe classroom, for feelings and respect towards others.
ReplyDeleteWatching this video made me feel reflective and reminded me how important it is to truly understand our students and their experiences outside of school. It shows that students often carry things with them that teachers may not see unless we intentionally create opportunities for them to share.
ReplyDeleteI would like to do a similar activity with my students because it can help build stronger relationships and create a deeper understanding of who they are and what they may be going through. Even though I work with younger children in Early Childhood Special Education, I can adapt the activity by having students draw pictures, share during circle time, or use simple prompts about their feelings, family, or things that are important to them.
I want to continue striving to make meaningful connections with my students and learn more about them as individuals. Activities like sharing time, emotion check-ins, or drawing and storytelling can help me better understand their needs, interests, and experiences, which ultimately helps me support them more effectively.
Kyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteWow. That was a powerful video. It inspired me and made me angry. I would absolutely do this assignment with my class. I teach in town that was once small enough I felt I knew most of my students stories. Our community is changing and I no longer feel that I really know what most of my kids go home to. I would do this to help me understand my kiddos and help my kids better. I have to say that it made me angry, because my community for the most part doesn't acknowledge that needs our students have these days. It's frustrating to not get that community support.
We do a lot of writing activities about their own personal lives and I have used that to get to know students more. I feel like asking them what they want me to know would be a great writing activity!
After watching this video, I felt a tug on my heartstrings reading those notes left by students. In the crazy hectic world of a teacher where you yourself have so much on your plate with lesson plans, standards to meet, conferences, state testing, etc, we forget sometimes that our students are going through a lot more than we realize. A part of me says "yes I would give this assignment." Another part of me says "no" because I know if I would have given it to some of my past classes, they would not have taken it seriously. I would get responses like "I wish my teacher knew more about important stuff" or "I wish my teacher knew that I don't care." I think it depends on the class of students you have. In the past I have given students "Get to know you" sheets at the beginning of the year that help me learn more about them.
ReplyDeleteKyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteI would give this assignment to my students. I want to know more about their lives and what it takes to live in a colony setting with the same group of people everyday in a communal living situation.
Kyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteI felt a sense of understanding when watching this video. I teach and live in a low-income school district. Many of our student's homes lives are not easy. I think many of them may feel a sense of loneliness and they want our connection and they want us to know what is going on in their lives. I would absolutely do this assignment. I think it is something that I could easily incorporate into one of my lessons. I really don't give out assignments in elementary PE, but I think this would be a perfect way to get to know my students on a deeper level. I'm even thinking that I could make a "I wish my teacher knew box", and my students could fill out a card anytime they want to throughout the year. It would be something that I could check at the end of each day or even at the end of each week.
Teaching is so much about relationships. That is the reason I left my last school. I had 450 kids on my caseload as a school counselor and I really felt that I couldn’t make strong relationships because I couldn’t get to 450 kids. I would have no issues doing this lesson. I think that after you build that relationship, kids come and talk to about what they are dealing with. I work with high school kids and after they know that they can trust you, they are very open and honest with about what is going on in their lives.
ReplyDeleteKyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteIn the past where I was the only school counselor, this is something I did at the beginning of the school year and then after Christmas break. It gives an opening for those students to voice their feelings without the judgement of others. You can learn a lot from giving students time to just talk/write. There are so many negative factors affecting students in their lives that isn't always easy to talk about. This is a wonderful way to learn and also help those students that might be flying under the radar to help them work through that. We can always create a warm, welcoming feeling at school for them to have a safe space to voice what they are feeling.
A thing I do is at the beginning of the week, everyone comes up to share things they did or wanted to do over the weekend/break. This is a great source of getting a view into the lives of my students. I learn a lot of personal things as well as just simple likes they have.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video, I found myself reflecting on my own students. Many of these children face so many challenges and burdens. Most of my student do not come from a two parent home, they do not take amazing trips or get everything they want at Christmas. We sometimes assume that kids don't have stress, however the video reminded me that many of my students carry a ton of stress every day. It breaks my heart to think about the home lives of some of my students. It was a good reminder to try to put myself in their shoes and understand what they bring to school each day.
ReplyDeleteI would love to try this assignment with my students because I believe it would open my eyes to what they are thinking and experiencing. Even first graders could draw pictures and label it to share the things they want me to know.
One activity we do daily is morning meeting we talk about how we are feeling each day and get a chance to answer a daily question. The questions definitely help me understand my students better. I also always send home a "getting to know your child" questionnaire at the beginning of the year to better understand each child.
I accidently posted anonymously but this is mine.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video, I found myself reflecting on my own students. Many of these children face so many challenges and burdens. Most of my student do not come from a two parent home, they do not take amazing trips or get everything they want at Christmas. We sometimes assume that kids don't have stress, however the video reminded me that many of my students carry a ton of stress every day. It breaks my heart to think about the home lives of some of my students. It was a good reminder to try to put myself in their shoes and understand what they bring to school each day.
I would love to try this assignment with my students because I believe it would open my eyes to what they are thinking and experiencing. Even first graders could draw pictures and label it to share the things they want me to know.
One activity we do daily is morning meeting we talk about how we are feeling each day and get a chance to answer a daily question. The questions definitely help me understand my students better. I also always send home a "getting to know your child" questionnaire at the beginning of the year to better understand each child.
I love this assignment. I actually try do give a similar assignment to my health classes each semester, multiple times throughout the semester. Because of the sensitive topics that are covered throughout our curriculum (ex: drug prevention, suicide, mental illness) I like to give my students a safe opportunity to share with me in case they may have a personal connection to one of the topics. I tell the students that the opportunity is there if they want me to know, but if not, they can share a random fact. A majority of my students choose to share a random fun fact and it is fun to get a glimpse into what is going on in their worlds. I enjoy that sometimes my quietest students, have the funniest comments to share. Other times I have had students share with me that they might struggle with a particular topic ahead of time due to their life experiences that I might otherwise not have been aware of.
ReplyDeleteKyle Schwartz, in her TED talk “What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew”, shares what she learned about her students through a one-sentence writing assignment. How did you feel watching this video? Would you want to give this same assignment to your students? Why or why not? What assignments have you given (or could you give) that have helped you learn more about your students?
ReplyDeleteThis video made me feel heartbroken and inspired. It was heartbreaking to hear some of the messages written to Kyle but at the same time it felt good knowing the students were willing to share such painful things with their teacher. It is obvious that her students felt a connection to her and that she has built great relationships with her students. Her message made me think more about the weight students carry into the classroom with them.
I would want to do this assignment in my classroom or assignments like it. It offers an opportunity to make connections with my students. It provides them with a way to openly share anything they want with me. I would also like to add an element to this assignment where students can continue to share information they want me to know. I could see in an electronic form that notifies me when students add something.
An assignment that I have been given to help learn more about my students is a "all about me" sheet where student indicate their hobbies, favorite things, etc. I also fill out a sheet and theses are hung on a wall in the classroom. I like doing this activity at the beginning of the school year as it helps to start the process of building community and relationships.
As a teacher of Early Childhood Special Education students I connect with my students through play. By "playing" with my students, I feel I learn a lot about family life in our dramatic play area, the conversations they have with their peers and how they play with manipulatives. When the students arrive at school, I give them a hug and then have conversations about what they did since they left school the day before. At the beginning of the year, we send home a sheet for parents to feel out "What you NEED to know about my Child". The questions are about who they live with, siblings, toys they like, things they are scared of or dislike, things they enjoy, allergies and holidays. These sheets are very important to me and I keep them very handy. We also have parents send us family pictures to put on their snack placemats so we can learn about their families and names so we can call family members by name. These placemats are great conversations starters.
ReplyDeleteWatching this TED talk I felt many things. I felt a great sense of responsibility of education for students. It is our responsibility to teach the whole child. This can be very daunting and difficult. I also felt sad that these students didn't think their teachers already knew these things. I also felt sad that the students didn't feel like they could talk to their teachers about these things. Then I realized that we are so busy in our classrooms with meeting standards and benchmarks that we sometimes forget about the student as a little human, totally unintentionally!!!
ReplyDeleteI think this would be a wonderful activity for all levels of students that can write at all. I think this would give students a sense of connection and safety. As the presenter stated, we are all looking for connection in our lives, young or old.
I used to give my upper level students an "All About Me" sheet to complete. They were told it was confidential, only for me to read, so they could say anything they wanted to. I, also, always let them know they could talk to me privately about anything that was bothering them and I would do what I could to help them with it.