Week 2 BP#2 Comments to Monica Heaney

Monica wrote:
After reading Chapter 1 of The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund & Benjamin Zander, I was hooked. I read many paragraphs over and over because I didn’t want to forget the message. As a teacher with dual certification (regular and special education) I am often asked to identify a child’s disability. It really bothers me that so often students are compared to each other and not looked at as an individual. I can think of a particular student who takes longer to respond and process, this is considered a processing delay that I don’t agree with. I watch him listen and if he was an adult, he would say “give me a minute.” As a child if his response time is not immediate we think something is wrong. Chapter 2 of “The Art of Possibility” reminds us how our measurements put limits on possibility. I believe that this student is very smart. Measuring him according to students who have the ability to express themselves quickly doesn’t allow for the possibility of his intelligence to be expressed. Chapter 3, “Giving An A” should remind us to give this student an A. If we assume he has a lot to contribute and a lot to express, perhaps his anxiety would lessen. Maybe he would feel the belief of the teacher and maybe he would feel more comfortable in expressing himself and his ideas. The authors expressed the idea that you can change people. This is an instance were I believe this can happen. As the educator, if I provide an atmosphere of trust, acceptance, and high expectations, this student of concern would most likely express himself.
Making a contribution as mentioned in chapter 4 would be on my end as well as on the students end. As the teacher, my contribution would be, being extra patient with this student. My student’s contribution would be to express his ideas and become an integral voice in our class. Which, I would imagine would encourage him to repeat the contributions and become more confident and less anxious.

Link to Monica

Monica,

You really deserve an A. Thank you for seeing all children for the possibility that exists within the scope of their abilities. As the mother of an Asberger's child, I have come to embrace my son's unique attributes and celebrate his successes regardless of how he compares to my other children. You are so right about judging a student's work based on his abilities. I have students who work so hard to be successful and others who are successful without much effort, but our society wants results. Effort may be praised, but it is seldom rewarded.

I have always wanted to be a more compassionate teacher, but being the math teacher doesn't always bring out my sensitive side. I have beat myself up over this point on more than one occasion. My brain is wired for facts and less responsive to feelings, but that is part of what makes me a good mathematician. I will still keep trying to improve in this area, but after reading your post and seeing your insights, I think I really should just give myself an A and acknowledge my own differences.

Thanks Monica!