Calling on the Fat Guy

Teaching runs in my extended family.  My mother in law was a Bilingual Teacher for tons of years before she retired about 10 years back.  I've been teaching now 18 years too, and my husband is in his 7th year teaching.  So, I've often heard it said from those that are more seasoned, "Don't let them see you smile till Thanksgiving." So in my mind, they were saying, "Be stern, don't let up till then."  But I always had a problem with that.  See, we don't learn from those people who we don't like.  I found this true with my own self in college, and again with my own children.  If we don't like that teacher, if they are rude, disrespectful, always complaining, never have a kind word, then forget it.  I'll never be able to do anything right or worthy of praise, so forget it.  And we mentally check out and just try to either survive that class and "make it through" or end up dropping it altogether to take something else from someone else.

This past week at school (I teach 5th Gr Math/Science, so that should explain a lot.), we began diving into harder concepts, power of 10 in Math, and actual labs where they had to think, plan, write, discuss, not just fill out a worksheet and circle C.  That's not so easy for kids period.  To ask a 10 year old to explain WHY is like looking at a deer in the headlights.  They automatically assume they are wrong just because I said, "Why?"  And I'm trying to get them to understand that they might be right, but I need them to verbalize why they think the way they do.  It's problem solving and communication skills at its most basic level.  

Well, this week, in reviewing some power of 10 Math concepts, I began asking questions, and ended up with the same 2 or 3 students answering over and over, and eventually, I had to say, "Sorry, not {Student A}.  Not {Student B}", etc.  Well, one of my boys, who is very animated, got frustrated with me because I wouldn't call on him after he had answered several other times, and I paused to see who else could answer.  And that's when he blurted out, "Awww, come on Mrs. Windham, call on the fat guy."  To which, my entire class, student teacher included, burst into laughter.  And he then said, "Well, I like to eat, what?" thinking maybe we were laughing at him.  To which, I responded, "That's ok, I like to eat too!" (because both him and I are built the same).  And he began laughing too.

It was one of those moments that we will all remember, even at the end of their 5th grade journey.  But it simply reminded me, that these are 10 year olds and they will never learn anything I need them to learn if they don't feel like I like them.  

You see, it's the same kid who had a challenging year last year, that I'm determined to make into a successful 5th grader this year, because he will know that I like him as a person first...he's SOMEBODY (our word of the year).  Yes, I as the teacher, may feel like the Ringmaster at a circus some days, but as my student teacher noted last week, "Mrs. Windham, I think they respond to you because you're just a great teacher." To which I replied, "No, it's just that teaching is part teaching and part theater."  I have to interject moments into our day, that will focus my unfocused, corral my monkeys, and interest my uninterested.  So, if I stop and dab in class, but call it the wrong dance name, I know my students will correct me, laugh at my mistake, and we will move on to more learning.  They know I'm trying to be active in their generation, but they also already know, even though it's only been two weeks, that first I care, and second, that I expect and demand greatness.  And demanding doesn't mean forcing, it means, we're a class of learners, so I expect that we work together, we clean together, we walk quietly together, we honor other classes learning time together, and we laugh together.  We will have fun, we will make messes, but we will all be successful, because I choose to call on the fat guy.

Hope you have a blessed school year as I'm having!