Don't tell me...you like kids

Reflections on a few rounds of admissions’ interviews for an elementary education masters/certification program resulted in a few musings -

 “I like kids” is not a compelling reason to become a teacher. In fact, it isn’t nearly enough. While teaching is primarily about relationships, liking kids only scratches the surface. Don’t tell me you like kids. Whenever an applicant makes that statement I want to ask, “Do you like ALL kids?” Every. Single. Kid?

That’s what teaching involves... liking ALL kids. You have to like the child who is the most different from you and, perhaps, everybody else. You have to like the child who knows how to push all your buttons. You have to like the child with whom you cannot communicate. You have to like the child who doesn’t seem to like you at all. You especially have to like that kid.

As hard as it is to like ALL kids there are some things that are at least as important, if not even more important than liking ALL kids. Liking kids is a start but it isn’t enough. So here is a list of other things that matter for perspective/practicing teachers.

You have to:

• Believe in ALL kids

You have to know deep down in your gut that ALL kids can learn. But knowing isn’t enough. Your words and your actions have to convey this belief.  It is incredibly easy to send the opposite message. Anytime we begin a question with the phrase, “Why can’t you…” (e.g. Why can’t you line up quietly?) we convey our lack of belief. It is so much easier for children to believe in their ability to learn when people who matter to them also believe in them. (Reflection opportunity: How can I share my belief in ALL kids with others through my words and my actions?)

•  Know ALL kids want to learn

ALL kids can learn and ALL kids want to learn. All children are curious. There is at least one thing that interests every single child. Sometimes we just have to search longer to find that thing. The discovery of that thing is arguably easier when learning is student-centered as opposed to curriculum-driven. It is much easier when the students get to do some choosing about their learning. (Reflection opportunity: How can I use learners' desire to learn to help them learn?)

• Trust ALL kids

Why do so many of our actions seem to give our students the opposite message? When we ask a child to have someone sign their reading log, does that tell the child we trust them? What are the long-term effects of this lack of trust? At the very least it has to damage the relationship between the student learners and the adult learners (aka teachers). A damaged relationship will most certainly thwart learning in both the student learners and the adult learners. (Reflection opportunity: What words and actions will convey my trust in learners to those learners?)

•  Foster independence in ALL kids

In an adult-child relationship it is the responsibility of the adult to support the child to develop independence. Too often the goal in schools seems to be dependence. How many of the regular routines in classrooms are actually fostering dependence? Attendance, lunch count, distributing papers, collecting things, when to stand up, when to sit down, when to speak, when to turn the page…the list goes on and on… We have to promote independence if we expect children to display it. Think about how crucial this dynamic is when considering THINKING. Independence of thought, the ability to think critically, won’t come from a steady diet of closed-ended questioning. (Reflection opportunity: What parts of my classroom routine are fostering dependence? How can I foster greater independence?)

• Understand that ALL parents/guardians want the best for their kids

As a parent I cannot believe otherwise about parents/guardians. Parents/guardians want the best for their kids. We may not all agree on what “the best” is. In fact, we may disagree more often than we would like. But the parent-teacher relationship has great impact on a child’s learning. So for the sake of the child’s learning let us teachers hold on to the assumption that we are all on the same side – the side that wants to provide the best learning environment, opportunities, and outcomes for ALL learners.

•  Teach ALL kids

Beware of “wallpaper students,” the ones who fade into the background. These are the children who don’t demand our attention. Perhaps they are the ones who always follow directions. And they may be somewhat quiet. Their academic performance is on target. We don’t worry about them. We have to be careful not to overlook them. We have to teach those kids.

Then there are the students who demand much of our attention. Maybe they have much to learn about participating in a group setting. Our reaction might be to remove them from the group. Are we teaching them how to participate in a group setting by continuously removing them from that very setting?  We have to teach those kids.

Then there are the students who are the outliers. They are either way above benchmark or way below benchmark. Those who are way above may get put in the category of “they are fine” so they end up working independently much of the time. Those who are way below may get written off “they won’t make it” so they also get overlooked (NB: see the first bullet above). We have to teach ALL kids. 

So don’t tell me you like kids – it just isn’t enough. What makes you think you can help ALL kids learn? Why will children be better people after spending ten months in a classroom with you? Maybe that is a better admissions’ interview question…

Still learning…to teach, Dr. G.