"What Needs To Be Changed? - Boys Behavior or Our Expectations"

Blog #5
Suzanne Corsall
Literary Luminator
p.127-167

-"Overreliance on trying to force a confession, or immediate self-assessment from an offending student.  Boys could not talk about what had happened as quickly and accurately as the teachers wanted them to.  Learning that the male brain is often slower at processing important emotive material helped the teachers change their expectations." p.161
This was one of the tips offered about discipline in the chapter.  This raises questions about discipline.  We have always been taught that we should apologize.  It also seems that as a culture as a whole we want to end conflict as soon as possible.  So I think I may find it frustrating that I may have to wait to solve a problem between students until they are able to deal with it emotionally.  It is also a challenge to now consider that it is now more important to work through a problem with a child and guide them rather than discipline them and give them a consequence.  While I agree with the new strategy, I also wonder when I will have time to teach content. 

-"Bonding is, in some ways, the most hidden, least measurable way to ensure good learning.  It is, for some, difficult.  It takes more time and work than we think we might have." p.149
I had never thought that a child may not learn because they didn't like their teacher, but that does make sense.  So now I feel this enormous pressure to have 20 kids and all their parents like me.  For I feel if a parent does not respect a teacher, maybe because they did not have positive relationships with their own teachers, a child cannot be expected to.  However, when examining the word bond more closely, I realized that i didn't necessarily have to become each child's hero or best friend.  Instead I will not get caught up in the business of teaching and remember that I am teaching individual people that I need to get to know and appreciate for their differences.

-"Boys do get more attention, on the whole, in a daily classroom environment, and in some ways they appear to have clearer bonds with the teacher.  However, the bond is often a negative one.  Girls often get less moment-by -moment classroom attention and appearance of bonding, but when they do it is generally not as negative.

This reminded me that while some students may demand more of our attention because of their behaviors we cannot forget the needs of our other students.  Even though they are not demanding our attention through poor behavior or academic performance they still have needs.  It may not show because they are quiet and well-behaved, but they may be suffering from low self-esteem.  Therefore, while it may seem like a daunting task it is important to make connections with every student.