How to Know You're Making a Difference (3/3)

“Taming the Teenager”

Best for last, this really hit me in the feels. There’s a student who has had some behavioral issues, which will not be divulged publicly, whom I teach. In general, he doesn’t seem to care about attending class and participating. With this class, I taught The Giver, which is my favorite book. This English subject is focused on vocal communication, so we worked with the audiobook some, and then I planned to show them the movie adaptation of the book, which any student would prefer. However, I got this particular student to actually pay attention - when frankly he never has in my class before - by showing the movie. Not only did he pay attention, he also cared enough to move [away from his friends] by my computer, so he could see the movie better.

Actually leaning to see the screen before...

This felt like a huge victory for me, and I was proud that I could deliver something in class - that actually pertained to the course material - that made this student stop and care. I can only hope that he took something out of this movie, and maybe it'll even inspire him to want to participate in class more in the future.

It’s the little things…

Comment with questions or suggestions for a post!  -G