Pages

Monday, June 12, 2017

You Matter

I'm not the smartest person. I'm not the prettiest. I was never picked first for any team. I'm not the best and I really don't want to be. I work hard at so many things but what's most important to me, what I value the most is being kind.   
The end of the school year is time for reflection. I ask my students to reflect and I reflect myself. I think about what I did well and where I can do better. In my reflections this year, I've come to the conclusion that I did a good job at developing relationships with students and connecting with them.  Here are some of their thoughts...
"You Matter" is how I communicate to my students that I see them and they are important to me and to our classroom community. Every day those words are on the board and it's made a difference. Many students told me that seeing those words every day in class made a difference to them.
We talk about what those words mean. We discuss how to communicate those words to each other, verbally and non-verbally. It's something I value and I see the value transfer to all very soon. We use these words. It becomes part of our daily conversation.
It's important, it's necessary, it's non-negotiable, to SEE our students every single day. It makes a difference. One class told me that I was their hero. (By the way, it isn't really about me at all, it's about the message: "You Matter!" It changed them. It meant something to them.) They created beautiful gifts. First of all, I got my very own superhero cape...
  
They also created a notebook for me. This notebook is filled with pages and pages written for me and to me. I see my students and they see me.
My hope for these students is that they remember their worth and share it with the world.
Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers.

No comments:

Post a Comment

New School Retreat

This school year brings changes for me as I'm transferring to a new school. It's a brand new school. It's still being buil...