More Tales From The School Room: Master's Version

This piece started as a comment on swan's previous post, "More Tales from the Schoolroom," and it became so long, as it evolved, that I decided it needed to become a fully-fledged post. What follows is the "comment" that grew to be a post:)

In order to get the impact of this, you need the context. This particular class has been the scourge of the school. Each year as they have progressed through the school, (small parochial school with little ingress or egress of students in a pretty stable community, so there is significant continuity of the students in the class throughout their elementary years) the teachers who have had them have had one of their "worst years ever." These are kids who have supposedly incorrigible behaviors towards each other, and their adults. "They are resistant to learning" is how they are billed. They are tough and just bad. They are "gang like." They have parents who are supposedly incompetent in their parenting and unsupportive of school.
The three boys who broke out of line and hugged her are the largest, toughest, "baddest", coolest guys who happen to be African American (not a relevant factor other than in understanding how contrary this behavior is to culturally normative behavior for their ages and peers) guys who would likely be headed for significantly troubled adolescences. swan's work in recognizing and validating their self-concepts, reinforcing that they are good, rewarding their sort of being the "dirty dozen" or "black sheep squadron" who can out perform everyone else, and in loving them by rewarding them, making learning fun, and responding to serious out of line behavior with the ruthlessness of an avenging angel, is transforming them. No, I don't mean she disciplines them for not filling out the headings on their papers correctly, or not putting their lunch tickets in the lunch ticket pouch in an orderly fashion...such as her predecessors chose to go to war with them over. She is particularly emphasizing behaviors which are cruel to other students, and working with them to understand what is meant by behavior that is "civilized" and "compassionate." She has a zero tolerance policy for bullying among her class whether in school or out. I wonder that her Catholic, Christian colleagues haven't bothered to teach those lessons, and here the rank heathen lurking clandestinely among them, is noting that until those lessons are learned, she can try to teach them to solve algebra equations until she and they are blue in the face and it won't matter.

These bad boys (who are learning she has a special love for "bad boys," as have I:) have found an adult who cares enough to emphasize what matters, who will accept nothing less than their liking themselves, and being good to each other, who will keep them safe, and who insists they learn, and who tells them why they must learn to be happy and successful (and better yet to confound their detractors:) Too, she has become someone who they don't want to disappoint or displease, mostly because they sincerely like her, but somewhat too because she has demonstrated that she will make their life a living hell if they insist on violating some of her most sacrosanct rules. (Be nice and life is the best ever, be bad and ....well, you just don't want to think about how that will be:) I don't know if many of these kids have ever had that relationship with an adult before.

I know I am rambling inanely, but I am just so outrageously proud of her.

Oh yeah too, the school psychologist came in to observe some of the kids on IEP's to see how their school year is starting out. She knows all these kids because, over the years, all of them have been referred to her numerous times because they are so "troubled." She left the observation shaking her head incredulously at the orderly class room, with students participating constructively, without rancor or disruption. swan learned later that the psychologist went to the principal and suggested that all the young teachers be required to spend periods of time observing and being mentored by her:) Thank god she has no degree in education as her colleagues have. I am beginning to think that perhaps college education combining mining engineering, economics, and business administration is the optimum teacher preparation regimen.

OK I'll shut up now, but I know she will never tell you how really wonderful this is, and how astounding it is for these three in particular to be coming to her to hug her and lead the class in a group hug.

I feel like I'm living through "To Sir With Love." (Recognizing I may well be the only one old enough to remember that movie.)

I am so thrilled and proud to have swan in my life, to love her and to be honored to be loved by her. Who she is and her achievements as an educator swell me with pride.
Not bad for people who have no integrity and live their lives taking the "low road" as we have been told recently by our DD guru friends.

Swan You Are, Of Course, Mine All Ways and Always,

Tom

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.