This was a great video. It is truly amazing how just one person can provide change to a community. I am amazed at how he built such a beautiful school. I loved that he added fountains, flowers, beautiful furniture and tons of windows for sun light. As I watched this video, I was thinking "who wouldn't want to go to that school?".
It is interesting that this all started because of one of his high school teachers. One teacher, gave him an opportunity to be successful. Wow....What if his high school art teacher never gave him the chance to learn pottery? What if that teacher told him "sorry, my class is full"? Would Bill Strickland ever build his schools? Would he ever have the chance to change so many lives?
I teach high school, and I have heard many times students complaining about their teachers. The usual complaint is that they are "mean". Or that the student feels that the teacher does not like them. Thinking about this video, we may not be able to change the school we work in. We may not be able to add windows, or have flowers in the hallways, but we can smile and treat our students with respect.
Just greeting the students as they come into the classroom and wishing them a nice day as they leave can make a world of difference to a student. I found this article on Classroom Management.
It gives ideas on how to build relationships in your classroom. I am sure many of these ideas we have all heard before. But, do we act on them? Do we take the time, to really get to know our students? We need to remember that we might be the one person that makes a difference in our students lives.
I couldn't agree with you more. I always try to greet my students every day by waiting for them in the hallway and saying hello. Once I learn their names, I like to greet them with their names. It makes them feel like they belong to the group and important.
ReplyDeleteYour comment is sad but sometimes true - "We need to remember that we might be the one person that makes a difference in our students lives. "