What is more crucial to teaching than catching a slipping student before he or she falls through the cracks—perhaps never to be pulled back to firm ground again? Because each struggling student is different and needs a different kind of help, you never know when you may be the one teacher who can make a breakthrough in a child’s struggle.
Although many conditions that cause students to flounder seem out of a teacher’s control, articles in this issue make clear that the most crucial factor—making a personal connection with the student—is in a teacher’s control. According to Julie Landsman (“Bearers of Hope,” p. 26), Montana Miller (“Where They Are: Working With —alized Students,” p. 50), and many other authors, the deciding factor in whether students in trouble stand a chance is whether those students sense that at least one teacher knows them and cares about their progress.
- Think of students you’ve taught through the years with whom you have found it easy to connect. What characteristics did these students have in common in terms of personality, learning style, particular strengths or weaknesses, or approach to your class?
- Think of students that you have found it harder to care about and connect to. Can you pinpoint anything these students had in common that may have thrown up a barrier for you? What could you do to get past such barriers and connect to students with whom you are initially uncomfortable?
- Miller talks about the need for students to have role models whom they perceive as similar to themselves. A sense of something in common with a teacher could lead to a feeling of ease and trust with that teacher. Brainstorm how you could discover something you have in common with an individual student who seems different from you. How could you communicate that similarity to the student?
Homework: Beyond Failure Messages
- Conduct a homework audit. As a group, design a student survey to probe how a lack of resources, time, or confidence might be contributing to homework avoidance. Talk over the survey results with learners who seem deaf to homework pleas or threats.
- Check that assignments are doable. Discuss with colleagues an assignment you often give students. Can fellow teachers understand this homework? Do these adult learners find the directions and expectations clear? Would they know how to find needed resources? Is it obvious how the homework relates to the lesson?
- Dig into homework at school. What do you think about allowing struggling students to do much of their homework at school under teacher supervision—through study hall, for example? Would this arrangement make homework too easy or discourage independent effort? Could such a plan work in your class or school?
Getting a Read on Mobility
Chester Hartman’s article (“Students on the Move,” p. 20) details the academic and psychological risks for students who change schools frequently. He also describes the negative effects for even stable students at a school with a high rate of student turnover. He asserts that poor and minority students are more likely to switch schools often, mainly because they lack good low-income housing options.
Examine the situation in your school district. Have one group member check whether your district keeps data on student mobility. Examine the data—broken down by individual school if possible—at your next meeting. Do certain schools in your area have higher student turnover rates? Are the high-turnover schools located in poorer neighborhoods?
Invite a speaker from a local housing program to one of your meetings to share information on the housing situation in your area. What options are there for low-income families? Is the housing picture changing in your area? In what way?
Looking at Expectations
In a previous article in Educational Leadership (“Confronting the Racism of Low Expectations,” November 2004), Julie Landsman described how teachers often give minority students easier tasks or questions in class, assuming (even subconsciously) that easy work is all they can handle. Some observers have bemoaned the “pobrecita syndrome,” a misplaced sympathy for children from poor or unstable homes that results in teachers’ lower expectations of these students.
In the current issue, Landsman recommends “cutting deals”—maintaining expectations but providing extra time or flexibility for students who are having trouble fulfilling those expectations. How is the idea of “cutting deals” and giving students leeway different from the “pobrecita syndrome”?
What do you think of Landsman’s view that, if we are to teach poor children effectively, “We cannot follow the statement ‘All children can learn’ with conditionals”?
