"Teaching
Hope" written by Erin Grunwell provides stories and experiences from new
and experienced teachers. Each entry contains a new perspective of victories or
tough times had by these teachers. I really enjoyed reading about the many
different types of relationships that teachers had with there students, from
giving testimonies in court against them, to realizing they were the only voice
a student had.
One entry
that specifically caught my attention was the fourth entry in the journal style
novel. The story was about a student named Shanece, a student who received disciplinary
action after being talked to about dress code. Apparently Shanece had a track record
with behavioral issues at this school, and after she got in trouble, she got so
upset at her suspension that she assaulted a teacher. The school convinced this
new teacher to press charges against Shanece so she could benefit from some sort
of consoling. However, when the teacher stood at her trial, she realized that
this wasn’t the case, and she has simply helped the state bring a young girl
who needed help and support to jail.
This entry
touched me because it demonstrates how some schools deal with students, who are
considered to have behavioral issues. Everyone believed the teacher of this scenario
was the victim, however the victim was Shanece herself, a student who clearly
needed to be saved by the educational system, not hurt even more by it. When I
am a teacher, I want to further extend the olive branch between students who
are considered rough around the edges, and the administration who is probably
tired of having the same students in their office. By creating a meaningful connection
with students, and giving them resources to succeed, hopefully I will never
find myself in a similar situation as Shanece and her teacher.
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