A question I posed in my previous post - how can I be held responsible for those things over which I have little or no control, such as a family's socioeconomic status - begs an answer. Although I can't be held responsible for a family's socioeconomic status, I do have a moral responsibility to advocate for an equitable distribution of resources so that all children have what they need to focus on learning in the classroom. Although, there are other elements that come into play as far as the progress a child makes in any one year, financial stability is definitely high on the list due to the repercussions it has on all aspects of a family's life. As teachers, we are responsible for the learning that happens in our classrooms and we must protest the politics and policies that prevent children from learning. We need to be front line supporters for our students. If not us, then who?
A child sits alone with a ripped worksheet packet on his desk. He appears to be singing or subvocalizing something though no one hears him. Or, perhaps they're ignoring him. The teacher stands at the front of the room teaching on the SmartBoard. The children follow along in their worksheets. Except the child sitting alone. He is in his own world. No one engages him and he engages no one. My heart aches for this child. He is physically and emotionally removed from the class. I ask him why his paper is ripped. (It's not an accidental rip.) He says he did that on a different day. When he had been frustrated about the work. He tells me that he sometimes sits by himself because the work is too hard for him. He later tells me that he sits by himself because the teacher thinks he talks too much during the lesson. He says he does that because he wants to find out about the "lives of the other children". My first impulse is to rescue him from the wrongheade...
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