Being a "Warm Demander"

I am in the process of reading Lisa Delpit's "Multiplication is for White People: Raising Expectations for Other People's Children" and was struck by the notion of what she calls a "warm demander".  Warm demanders are teachers who push their students, who demand that they perform and who insist that each individual is capable of doing whatever anyone else can do. This is especially important with students who have been told repeatedly that they are not good enough or smart enough.

I have seen this type of deficit thinking in schools before. A student who falls behind or that simply needs more time is considered "slow".  Students who come from low income families are already labelled as "at-risk". Students who have different skin color than their peers are looked at as if they are behind already, and if one or two show the same intelligence as the rest, then they are considered the exception. It had always frustrated me that we seemed to be encouraging these students to do as little as possible. Instead of offering up the same challenges that we demand of others, we convince ourselves, and them, that they are simply not smart enough to do it on their own. When we expect so little, we are likely to get little in return. Then, we continue this type of "hand-holding" throughout grade school, and sometimes through middle school, and wonder why they are still not capable of doing anything on their own come high school.

But it is not enough to simply demand more of these students. Yes, we need to raise our expectations and yes, we need to push them to achieve more than they thought they could, but we also need to show care and concern for each and every one of them. Delpit writes that, "When students believe that teachers believe in their ability, when they see teachers willing to go the extra mile to meet their academic deficiencies, they are much more likely to try." Our students need to see that we push so hard because we know that they can do it. Whether they come from a background of poverty, whether they have never been expected to do well before, whether things at home are a mess, we still believe that they can excel as a student. We need to not only demand excellence, but we need to give them the tools and the necessary support so that they can meet those demands.

I would love nothing more than for my students to see me as a warm demander. It is definately not the passive approach to teaching, and I know that it will sometimes be overwhelming, but isn't this why a person should go into teaching? Why else would anyone be crazy enough to take charge of a classroom of 25+ children? It is certainly not for the money or the prestige of the job. To me, though, nothing is more gratifying than seeing my students engaged and challenged by the work that is in front of them.

Evernote

As I headed down to the copy room to make copies of all of our students math tests so that my teacher could have a copy on file, I thought once again of how much paper we go through in our classrooms. I find it interesting that with all of the technology we now have at our fingertips, most teachers continue to make copy after copy of homework, tests, newsletters, and so on. Now, I know that we need paper for many things and I also know that not all schools have computers for their students to use very often. Even so, I think we could cut down on our paper waste. With this in mind, I started to "play around", as Jane says, with Evernote. I downloaded the app on my ipad and then made a notebook for each subject: math, reading, writing, word work, social studies, and science. Then I put each of my 5 focus students in the subjects. I chose one student for our project in Nancy's class and so, with my ipod touch, I took some pictures of his writing and filed it under his name. In this way I didn't have to make any copies of his work and I always have it right there on my itouch.

What really surprised me was how fast and easy it was to make these different notebooks. I think it took maybe ten minutes to create the different subjects and add each of my students in. Even with twenty more students in the class, it still wouldn't take much time to add them all in and snap pictures of their work. Definately a lot less time than making copies of every single page of their tests and filing it away. A lot less storage space as well. I am excited to see what else I can use my new Evernote app for!

Reflecting on the good side

All too often it is easy to focus on all the negative things that are going on in our lives. It can seem like the entire world is working against us. "If only....." we tend to think. "If only I had more time....if only this one stressful piece of my life were gone.....if only I didn't have this or that to do......" And when we become completely overwhelmed "If only..." becomes "Why me?" If we are not careful, this mentality can eventually come to define our character. John Spencer wrote about this in the first part of his book "A Sustainable Start..." and recommended creating a journal of all the things that you are thankful for in teaching. This really struck a chord with me because I have often done similar things when going through particularily difficult periods in my life. It really can help to refocus your attention to all the wonderful things that are going on around you. In a country full of wealth and prosperity, we can sometimes take it for granted how truly blessed we are.

As I sat down to write this blog I happened upon another blog written specifically for teachers to record one good thing that happened to them that day. Some of the entries are huge and momentous and some are little things that just made the author smile. Here is the link. Read through some of the entries and try to think of some good things that happened to you this week. When you are bemoaning those few troublesome students, remember the other 20-something wonderful kids you have! When half the class forgets to turn in their homework call out and celebrate the ones that remembered. When you are not feeling well and don't know where you will get the energy to teach an entire day remember to be thankful that you have such an exciting job and don't have to sit at a desk in a cubicle all day. Reflect on the good and you will see the good.