I was talking with my teacher mentor last week about a student struggling with behavior issues. She was obviously distraught at the time of our conversation - the student's mother had to come get him from school because he was being violent, and my mentor had just come from trying to settle him down before she arrived. With tears welling up in her eyes, she said, "Kids just have to feel safe. There is so much that comes before teaching students... we aren't just teachers. We are counselors, psychologists, nurses, friends, moms, dads, the list goes on. And these kids need all of that extra stuff before we can teach them academics."
This brought me to the thought that "teaching the whole child" often means putting social/emotional needs before learning goals, assessment data, and pressure from parents/other teachers/admin. I have come to realize that the students who need my help the most will learn more about social/emotional skills than academics while they are with me - and that's OK. Kids need need NEED to be able to cope with life, especially when life has not been generous, or even fair to them. After studying and reflecting on the picture above, I think it is absolutely mandatory that teachers are teaching their students based off of this model (or a model like this). Step 1: Create a safe relationship with your student (Do they have anyone they feel safe with?) Step 2: Teach coping skills Step 3: Teach virtues (thankfulness, diligence, etc.) Knowing these steps and how a student evolved helps us as teachers be easier on ourselves - they aren't learning their ABC's? That's OK - at least when they come to school, they feel safe. They can't count to 30? At least they are learning to breathe when they are angry. It's easy to forget the importance of social/emotional skills when academic pressure is so great. That's why it's good to remember to read articles like this (there are thousands out there!) that affirm what we have all been feeling all along - our kids come first.
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We know diet is important. It is closely intertwined with risk of disease and overall health (https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/introduction/nutrition-and-health-are-closely-related/). We also know that without the free and reduced price lunch system, hundreds of our students would go hungry. So the question I am always faced with it - what am I allowing? Should I just be happy students are being fed? Or should I advocate for the best possible options for my students?
Even though it's up for debate, I came up with a list of ways we as educators can improve the health and wellbeing of our students.
I'm curious as to what you think. Please comment what your take is on healthy school lunches. I found the best self care quote. Teaching the whole child is ONLY POSSIBLE when you can bring your very best self to the table. Kate Eskuri, a fellow blogger, said it perfectly when she described self care:
Here it is folks - a practical way to check and see if you are "teaching the whole child" in your classroom. The idea is simple. Take 8 work-week days (stay offline on the weekends, you overachiever you ;) ) to reflect on one portion of your teaching style per day. Follow the steps below to do the "8 Day "Whole Child" Challenge." Jot down a few ideas per day to implement in your classroom. Day 1: Study the image in this blog post and grab a notebook and a pen. We will start with the purple sliver, CONTEXT, and how that affects the kiddos in your classroom. Answer the following prompts:
Day 2: CONNECTIONS. Today, focus on the following prompts concerning connections within the classroom and within the school.
Reflect. Write down a couple ideas to improve connections within your classroom and outside of the classroom. Day 3: Coherence - an odd but oh-so important aspect of teaching the whole child. Clarity and organization create an environment where assessment data is USED, children and parents are HEARD, and colleagues are ENCOURAGED.
Day 4: Challenge Uh oh!! The "D" word is coming... differentiation. The heartbeat of an excellent classroom.
Reflect. Day 5: Curiosity Sometimes, "I Do, We Do, You Do" is the way to go. But more than ever, inquiry-based lessons are prized among educators because they provoke higher level thinking. To "teach the whole child," students must be using higher level thinking skills (creating, debating, questioning, analyzing... etc.). Without these skills, students are missing out on the chance to think for themselves.
Reflect. Again, write down a couple of ideas to implement. (Don't worry about "when" and "how" - think BIG!) Day 6: Care
The bottom line: Caring for yourself might have to be priority number 1 if you are constantly stressed, irritable, and distracted. You've got this! Day 7: Community
Day 8: Creativity
YOU DID IT. You thought long and hard about what it means to "teach the whole child." Look at your ideas from each day and set up an action plan. Share the ideas with your PLC. Ask for practical ways to implement these ideas. Reach out to your community for resources/materials. Sending you the warmest wishes and wishing you all the luck, Andrea P.S. COMMENT or e-mail to let me know if you completed the 8 Day Whole Child Challenge. Feedback is always accepted. Currently, I am a teaching assistant in a kindergarten classroom in my hometown. (Sidenote: I was talking with my dentist the other day and he had no clue what a "paraprofessional" was. He is from the west coast and said he doesn't think everyone in the U.S. calls paras "paras." So, TA it is!) Just recently, a neighboring kinder classroom received a new student from Honduras. She came in speaking absolutely ZERO English. She was assigned to the classroom she was because the teacher in that room has a minor in Spanish and had the best chance of communicating with the student and making her feel welcome and safe. In my small town in rural Minnesota, this was my first experience with an ELL who came in not knowing any English. And it was a bit of a wake-up call for me as a future teacher - how would I handle this? How would I translate lessons for the student? How would I communicate with her parents? Better yet - how would SHE communicate with me so that I could make sure her needs were met?
I suppose it's just like working with any other student with an exceptionality. We adapt, take it day by day, and try our best to care for the students. Relationships first, amiright? Anyway, my inquiry caused me to look up some resources for future potential use. Enjoy!
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