Chapter Eight: Reinforcing Effort

I work with and coach students that have experienced failure on multiple levels at multiple times. They have been pulled out of class many times over the years. They often feel like failures, dislike school, and can be discipline problems. This year working with the older children, they often cringed when they saw me coming. Mainly because I was picking them up at recess time. I do not blame them -- who wants to miss recess -- the one time they can relax, play around, and talk with their friends. I know the teachers liked this time because they did not have to reteach skills later to these children. However, I often wondered how beneficial my time was when the kids were so adamant against coming to my class. (I never had this problem with the younger children, they liked being pulled out of class to go to someplace different. They even begged to go.)

I see two solutions to this problem:
One, do not pull the kids out, have the teacher work inside the classroom. This can be beneficial to the teacher; as well as, many other kids in the class. Centers could be utilized with computers, cooperative activities, and small groups working with the pull out teacher and the regular classroom teacher. This idea could be intimidating to the teachers, but also could be very valuable. Teachers could learn from each other and the kids would benefit from increased knowledge and expertise on the teachers part, students not experiencing difficulty can be challenged in other activities, and students needing tutorials could do this in a far less embarrassing way -- rather than being pulled out.

Two, I could change my means of instruction to make sure it is more intriguing and interesting -- Incorporate more technology. I will need to have my room improved with a TV and also utilize our computers on wheels. I can also utilize the rubric idea and incorporate other means of evaluating effort. This should also get the kids to evaluate their own effort put forth and the pay back (in improvement) of grades, knowledge, and self esteem. This could also be shared with parents and improve communication. I really like the rubric idea. It is very self improving.