Sunday, March 12, 2017

Teaching Hope: Rejuvenation Reflection

The “Teaching Hope” section Rejuvenation is all about students having the light bulb moment that is very near and dear to my heart. The “oh now I get it” moment can come in many forms of students behavior, effort, work, or understanding content. I was so excited when I read that opener of this section, because as it is stated in the book, “with a little energy, some sacrifice, and a lot of patience, these teachers were rewarded for the knowledge they passed on” (p. 247) sometimes all students need is someone to remind them they are being rooted for.

One entry, 114, in this section really touched me. The entry talks about a young man named Jose who is continuing to fall behind in class. Jose’ “ah-ha” moment occurred when he was on a class trip. His teacher, who had noticed Jose failing and tried to reach out to him, took the time to write a simple note. The note stated:

“Lord, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.”


A note that probably took the teacher a few moments to write had a profound impact on Jose. After the trip, Jose came back with most of his work completed, and a strategy to get caught up in class. It made me reflect on how teachers can do the smallest things that have the most impact on a student. I believe that sometimes in order to reach a student, a teacher might have to exhibit patience and kindness. I hope to carry these words with me through my teaching career to serve as a reminder of having patience and kindness always when communicating and motivating students.

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