EDSS 531 Journal Entry #3

Journal Entry #3

I really enjoyed this question because it brings so many aspects to mind. When someone says, "I need you to do this," or, "You don't understand, I need this," what do they really mean? A need is a necessity that arises from a variety of circumstances. Or, a lack of something wanted. Or, an urgent want or desire. Even the definition of the word "need" has a variety of insinuations. When asked the question, "To what degree do you think you really understand the needs of your student and what they need for the 21st century?" I can only give one answer based on my own personal experience. Students in the 21st century need an amazing teacher. Being an amazing teacher takes far more effort and personal drive than I could have ever imagined. I can meet the needs of some students by using differentiation strategies and good creative lesson plans. A good comprehension of technology is also highly beneficial but not necessarily vital. However, the increased use of technology has definitely helped my students by providing additional support services and resources including making homework and handouts available online. I have done all of these things, but I don't feel that in the 21st century the gap between the needs of the teachers and their students is technology, or differentiation strategies, or an awesome lesson plan. What the students of the 21st century really need is someone to believe in them. They need hope. Hope for the future. Hope for their education. Hope that they will be able to succeed and aspire to their own goals. Many of my students felt inferior to some of their peers. Why? Because they didn't score the highest on the SAT's? Because they didn't win the CIF championships? Because they had never gotten an A on an English paper? I must make sure to clarify that not all students feel this way. There have been and always will be the individuals that will strive to reach their goals regardless of the support they have or lack. These individuals are what I call Supernovas. An explosion of energy that is unstoppable. But what about the majority? What about the kid that comes in every day and sits in the same old desk but never says one word? How many teachers acknowledge that student? I did. I made sure to. Especially because those shy, quite, socially awkward students, are some of my favorite people.

I think there is a division between the teacher and student because of our roles as educators in the classroom. Teachers are perceived as being the all knowing being that holds the student's precious grades in their clutches. There is a distance established between the teacher and the student. The best way to decrease the gap is to get to know your students. Getting to know your students solves so many gaps. If you show that you care and are invested in them because they are interesting people they will be more likely to complete assignments producing a higher quality of work and they will be more likely to seek out the teacher's assistance. In order to bridge the gap, I had one objective everyday: Teacher will be able to know and understand the needs of her students by engaging in discussions with individual students before and after class. If teacher is unable to speak with every student, teacher will create a scaffolding system within the classroom that establishes a supportive learning environment by creating a class website, making one-on-one conferences available, using Think-Pair-Share and reflective writing activities, and ensuring a low affective filter.

At first this gap between the students and I seemed huge. Initially, many of the students were hesitant to trust and respect me because I was a student teacher. I had not been with them during the beginning of the year and upon the announcement that I was a newbie teacher about to take full control, well, let's just say many student's faces turned deathly pale white. But, I had anticipated this reaction. I was confident in my abilities and knowledge of the subject matter but what I needed to learn was how to connect to the students. I didn't need them to like me, I needed them to respect me and trust that I had their best interest at heart every day, every time I stood up to give a lesson, and every time I crossed that threshold into the classroom. The only way to create this sense of trust was to establish an environment of consistency and assurance while not making it the “Miss Sadeghipour Show.” Thus, I made a promise to myself. Every day I would get to know one student. This was one goal that I set for myself. I had distributed questionnaires to each of the students to fill out and had read them so much that they now resembled crumbled pieces of cloth. I used my knowledge of their likes and dislikes to initiate conversations with many of the students. I had one student who had to come up with a team name and came up with the name "Mastodon." I had a huge grin on my face and asked him, "Do you mean the prehistoric beast or the band?"

He looked as if I had just spoken an alien language to him and eventually asked, "You know Mastodon?"

"March of the Fire Ants is one of my favorite songs." With that simple moment I had created a bond with that student. I had no idea. This student wore all black every day and usually looked down at his feet when he walked down the hall or spoke. But when he spoke to me, he looked me in the eyes. I even got some laughs out of him.

One day I had noticed him in the hall and he seemed really upset. I pulled him aside and he was hesitant to explain why he seemed upset. He then said, "I just don't get it. Why do so many people care about such mundane things? Why do people care about the Kardashians? Why do people care about the clothes they wear? Why do people care about such stupid things? I don't. Am I the weird one?" I couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Student X, I have to apologize. I'm really sorry, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because I can't believe you just said that. Do you have any idea how long it's been since someone has been so honest. Since someone has been so normal. It may not seem like it but you, the one with your eyes open, you are the normal one. You are the one that is supposed to be here. You are a puzzle piece that has the ability to look at the whole puzzle and realize where and how you fit. Who cares if everyone else thinks they need the newest pair of jeans or to be like the people on Jersey Shore. You are the brave one because you're willing to use your eyes. You are the normal one." Student X shrugged and merely responded with, "I guess."Perhaps my words had fallen on deaf ears. The semester carried on and the student made sure to say "Hello" to me every single day.

On my final day, I wrote them a speech. I presented my speech to both my classes. This is what it said:

I'm not very good with goodbyes. My original idea was to flash the peace sign and say, "Peace out foo's" as I walked out the door. But then I realized, oh yeah, I still have to give the final. So, I'm back to square one and I still don't know what to say. I guess I'll start with this.

The more I read your quick writes and overheard your discussions, the more I realized what fascinating, hilarious, intriguing adults you are. The amount of depth, perspective, and personal reflection each of you put into those really made me understand who each of you are. Each of you have helped solidify my chosen career path. Thank you. I don't think you will ever fully understand how excited I am that brilliant people like yourselves are going to be a part of society. Each in your own way.

Piece of advice? Don't let anyone cut your off, either in life or traffic. Always let someone you appreciate and care about know it over and over again. Don't be afraid to take smart chances. Most of the time, those once in a lifetime moments pass you by before you had the time to weigh the pro's and con's. As the brilliant Steve Jobs once said, "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." At the end of the day, the only person you have to live with for the rest of your life is yourself. Make yourself someone your proud of.

Final piece of advice, if you're planning on going to college, buy lots of Ramen noodles. College can be a starving experience. Thank you.

On the last day of school I was approached by Student X. "Miss Sadeghipour, thank you. I know I didn't ever say that but thank you. I didn't think I was going to make it through this year. But knowing that there are people like you out there, I know I can do it." I had no idea the suffering this student was going through and I definitely did not think that my words had that much of an impact. To this day I still see Student X volunteering at the adoption counter at Petsmart. He always grins and waves "Hello" asking me if I've listened to any metal recently.