Re: 5th years continued

[Tanya Sharon <ab6926@WAYNE.EDU>]

At 01:45 PM 7/6/00 -0700, you wrote:
>I agree with Deb that the BIG plus for small schools--and I will extend that
>to small classes--is the personalization factor. My students do well and
>relate to me and trust because they know me, as do their families. There is
>no substitute for having good, close relationships, which can only happen
>when we are not totally overwhelmed. Our older students can become mentors
>for the younger ones, which happens a lot at my school because it is k-12.
>In fact, I was talking with one of my former students just this morning and
>I spoke about him helping an entering 9th grader who reminds him of himself
>when he was younger--brilliant but stubborn and academically needy; then he
>asked me if I would call another student because his grandmother just had a
>stroke, and also because he needed a pep talk about going to college. I
>agreed and did. Isn't this why we teach?
>Judi

I agree. But I caution teachers not to use the large class size or school
size as an excuse for not developing relationships with families and
students. There are many examples of ways that teachers do this. Here is mine:

I take 2-3 students out to dinner at Big Boy and afterward to a wonderful
pet shop with all kinds of reptiles, spiders, fish (both fresh and
saltwater), mammals, birds, scorpions, etc. I do this about once every
week. I pick the kids up at their homes which gives me the opportunity to
meet families that don't get to the school in a situation that is not about
disciplinary or academic problems. I get a better idea of where the child
is coming from when I see their homes and the interactions between parents
and children in the home. The parents become more comfortable with me as I
become more comfortable with them and I get to know the children a lot
better and vise versa. I also find that I get real parent phone numbers
because I require an emergency number I can call during the evening if need
be.

I have 23-30 students each year in a school of 1200.

Tanya

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the ARN-L list, send command SIGNOFF ARN-L
to LISTSERV@LISTS.CUA.EDU.