As a first year teacher at Heritage Academy Laveen, comments I’ve heard again and again from scholars: “The teachers really care about us.” “Teachers want us to be successful.”
Thinking about this brought to mind another teacher’s efforts in helping her students by asking them to finish one simple sentence:
“I wish my teacher knew…”
“The results astounded her. Some answers were humorous; others were heartbreaking. All were profoundly moving and enlightening. The results opened her eyes to the need for educators to understand the unique realities their students face in order to create an open, safe, and supportive classroom environment. When Kyle Schwartz shared her experience online, teachers around the globe began sharing their own contributions to #IWishMyTeacherKnew.”
This past week, I posed this sentence completion to 7th and 8th grade Heritage Laveen scholars. Below are some of the results:
- “ One of the things I want my teachers to know is that most of the time when I’m kind of talkative, something has happened and I want to either push it away or find out more.”
- “I really don’t like reading in public because I’m still learning English (English is my 2nd language) and I always mispronounce words.”
- “I have not had my leg since I was born and this prothesis for 1 and ½ years.” From a shy scholar
- “I get really nervous during tests.” An A scholar
- “I sometimes don’t answer questions because I’m afraid I’ll get the question wrong and embarrass myself.” (An A+ scholar)
- “I don’t have time to do a lot of homework especially math cause of my life style.” A scholar who raises and show livestock.
- “I wish that teachers knew that I’m a very laid-back person that just likes to chill and not to be called on just learn and take notes.”
- “My teachers should know that I’m a Boy Scout.” A struggling scholar
- “I don’t like writing, but I love to learn and solve puzzles.” An outgoing, high achieving scholar
- “I like organizing and for things to be neat.” A reluctant reader
- “I would like my teachers to know that I have Tourette syndrome. I sometimes have trouble reading and spelling.” A female scholar
- “I have Asperger syndrome.” An A scholar
- “I wish all my teachers knew about is that I’m a goofy goober and sometimes I give up.”
- “I wish that my teachers knew that I am terrible at math; it’s not that I’m not trying.
- “I am sometimes a slow learner but sometimes I can pick things up very fast.”
- “I love to help out.”
- I seem happy but really, I put on a fake face and I’m sad. I cry all the time. I’m not as happy as I use to be.”
- “I do not like to sit up front.”
- “Don’t hesitate to assign big reading projects. Scholars either enjoy them, don’t care, or need to improve their reading.”
- “I struggle a lot in English. I don’t get lots of sleep. Well, everything in school is really hard.”
- “I wish my teachers knew that sometimes my homework isn’t turned in the best because I do it with my 4 siblings yelling in the background.”
- “I have a brother who would have been 14 if he were alive. I miss him.”
- “I want my teachers to know I’m socially awkward and that’s why I don’t talk very much.”
- “I have a really bad memory, so I forget that I’m doing…I also have a low immune system so I get sick often.”
- “I’m a Seahawk fan.”
- “I wish every teacher knew that I love riding horses and I like dolphins and the oceans also that I don’t share it except with Ms. Buck.”
- “I wish all my teachers knew about me that my sugar goes down really fast and there is a possibility that after a long time I will faint.”
- “I’m soft, soft spoken and I like to keep things to myself.”
- “I wish every teacher knew I like to learn but that I sometimes have struggle raising my hand to answer questions. I prefer to just say it.”
- “I wish teacher knew that when they call on me I get nervous. I was bullied all my life and just want everyone to be happy.”
- “I wish every teacher knew I’m good at basketball and piano and I do martial arts.” A scholar who struggles with academics.
- “I love volleyball. I can have a really bad attitude if you continue to say something to me when I’m not the only one.”
- “I wish every teacher knew I have trouble paying attention, I don’t sleep very well and I get scared when I talk in front of everyone.”
- “I want teachers to know I get back headaches and I can’t see well from the back of the room and prefer to sit close to the board.”
- “I wish all my teachers know that I can hardly see things up close and glasses are expensive and hard to get.”
- “I wish my teachers knew that I really like to read. If they knw that, they would let me read in class. The book is usually more interesting than what the teacher is teaching. No offense to any teachers. But the book is better.”
- “I wish my teachers knew about my condition, Asperger Syndrome. My brain goes tick while others go tock. I’m different and wish my teachers knew. I want to meet someone like me. I would love it.”
- “I wish all the teachers knew I have to take care of my baby sister and my mom is sick. Dad has a job.”
- “I wish every teacher knew that I feel guilty about what others do even though I didn’t do it.”
These amazing revelations are vital for teachers to understand and for scholars (or parents ) to share and by working together, assist scholars face individual challenges…successfully.
Blog post submitted by Pat Durda, English teacher at our Laveen campus
I wish my kids’ teachers knew…what the other teachers were assigning, and when. It would make all the difference.