Lessons and Growth in Class Two

A photo of two boys sitting on the floor and meditating

Written by Celia Chadwick, Aspire AmeriCorps Member

Some of my favorite things about teaching are watching the kids improve their reading (this is priceless), bond with each other, build relationships and trust, and come out of their shells. It is also extremely gratifying to strengthen my own bond and trust with the students! Mat Meeting has been extremely beneficial in building these bonds. Mat Meeting is a way to check in with everyone and provide students with a quick social-emotional lesson before they begin their academic lessons. Students share things about themselves, ask questions about each other, announcements are made, and we finish off with a game if there is time. The kids were of course shy at first, but as the weeks and months have gone by, each meeting they get more and more comfortable with each other, as it gives them an opportunity to get to know things about their fellow students they may not have known before. Sometimes Mat Meeting turns into a dance party and I have to settle them down and let them know they can dance as much as they want in the gym, and that I’ll dance with them!

In October, we got 5 new students. Their presence has brought an abundance of life lessons to the class. Before they came, things were pretty calm, but jealousy started to arise amongst some of the students. When a conflict arises, I remind them to apologize to each other and to be kind to each other. I also encourage them and reward them with stickers when they do something kind, which has proven effective. Communicating this to kids, especially early on, is extremely important. As tough as these conflicts are, they have strengthened the bonds between the students.

The read alouds have also been surprisingly beneficial in helping the bonds grow between the students. They complain every time we start the read alouds, of course, but once we progress with the book they start to encourage each other and become engaged in the story. It is so funny and satisfying to see the contrast of how they start out being resistant to the read alouds and by the end of them, they’re huddling around me clamoring for a chance to read.

One of my fellow teachers was kind enough to give our class a copy of “A Snowman Storybook” with a stuffed animal snowman to go along with it. This story is about a boy whose snowman comes to life. The snowman doesn’t have a name in the story, but the kids named him “Frankie the Snowman”, and I let them hold him when they read individually in the read alouds. I also read “Bunheads” to them, a children’s book about Misty Copeland’s beginnings in ballet as a child, and they loved it! I make a concerted effort to read stories representing different cultures and people of color, so they can see and relate to diverse characters and stories. It can be very damaging to kids to only see one type of person represented in books, and I want to make sure that every student feels like they can be the hero of their own story. They also loved “The Witches” by Roald Dahl. Their favorite character is the grandma in the story, because she is her grandson’s hero, and fills him in on all of the ways to identify a witch because in this story, witches are evil and prey upon young children.

There have been some behavioral issues in the class, but no kid is a “bad” kid. I’ve learned that asking them what they need when they’re having a meltdown is effective. One of my students suggested a quiet corner, and it has helped the kids to decompress when they need some time away from the class. There will always be one fire or another to put out, but luckily these are not real fires (knock on wood). At the end of the day, it’s like witnessing a series of comedy segments, because the kids are hilarious without even trying.

One of the things that is wonderful about Aspire is that we are conscientious about how kids are feeling and what support they need, and we are always striving to improve on a daily basis. Our kids aren’t treated as just numbers, we pay attention to their needs and treat them with the same level of respect as adults. They need our support now more than ever, and it’s important for them and their families to know they have a safe space here. The more kids can see that we respect them and that we care and respond to their needs, the greater the impact shows. I can’t wait to see how they continue to grow in the coming six months!