This was my first year of teaching, so I expected to face some difficulties. Although I knew of many teachers who had special cases in their classrooms, never had I anticipated to experience such a case in mine. One of my students was an aggressive and offensive girl. Her parents were divorced and she didn’t seem to be comfortable with neither of them. As I heard, her step-mother doesn't care about her or her siblings, they even wake up by themselves to school. She has told me several times "I hate my oldest brother”, “my mother doesn't allow me to touch her”, “everyone hates me" and many similar phrases. My journey with her started before I knew about her situation. In my classes, she always used to interrupt my lessons, misbehave and act rudely. I tried to ignore her, until one time when we had a confrontation. I couldn't handle her bad manners anymore. I burst with anger and left the classroom after telling her that I will leave the school. At that moment, she rushed with tears on her face to stop me. I realized then that I really meant a lot to her and that her aim was nothing more than seeking care and attention. Ever since then, you won't believe the changes that have befallen. I considered her to be my friend. I showed her that I really cared for her and wanted her to be one of the best students in my class. She felt that her parents didn't care whether she succeeded or not, so I kept on emphasizing to her how much I believed in her and that I was sure she will actually make it. She started showing progress day after day and only sought after pleasing me. We spent recesses together and worked on improving her personality before accelerating her academic level. I shared with her some stories of my life and she started telling me everything she encountered in her daily life. She really felt relaxed when talking to me. She opened up to me about things she wouldn't normally tell anyone else.
This girl used to fail in every subject in school, but believe it or not, now instead of a grade of 7/20 she's getting 14! This persuading role could be taken by anyone; a parent, a relative, a friend, but I believe it can be most influential by teachers. Inspire and encourage your students to be great people, see the best in them, be their source of guidance, let them learn from you and allow them to realize their own personal growth. Never underestimate your role as a teacher, you might be the hero of someone's life and their leader to success.
Great job khawla, really great teacher!
ReplyDeleteYes, i do believe in what you said. Some teachers tend to underestimate their effect on students and thus influence them negatively. I really care about every single word or action I do in class in order to be a leader to success in some way, basically the way I can do it...
Good job Khawla, you are certainly a teacher who will be remembered by her students. I love your positive spirit. Keep up the outstanding performance. I really enjoyed reading about your first year experience as a teacher.
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