The Importance of Listening and Understanding Students

It has been over a year since I have written a blog entry.  I guess sometimes life gets a little busy.  Please do not think that this is the only book that I have read since then.  By no means at all!

I have read so many wonderful books--children's books, teaching books, books about life.  I just have not found (or made) the time to record my thoughts on a book.  It is amazing though what four snow days can do.

Since it has been a year plus since I last wrote, here is a quick update.

Over the summer, I spent one final summer as a camp counselor at the camp that I have been working at for the past four summers.

Through it all, I would say it was my favorite summer both in the connections that I created and connections that I further developed and in the children that I got to work with week after week.  I miss it--working there and interacting with the people daily.

If you have been following this blog, you'll remember that I was in a teaching program which was originally why I started this blog.  Currently, I am a first grade teacher in a struggling urban district.

These past few months have been some of the hardest months that I have ever faced.  The best description that I have read about first year of teaching is this "First year of teaching is like flying an airplane while still building it."  So true.

The first few weeks, I questioned seriously my calling (yes I do think it is a calling because I have never been able to get it out of my mind).  I would go home and type into google "alternatives for being a teacher."

Things have gotten better since then.  There are still days that I come home crying and feeling like a complete failure (and honestly those are far more days than the ones where I feel like I had a great day), but I have chosen to focus on the positive--one child smiled at me today, my hardest student told me I was the best teacher ever, this one girl drew me a picture.

The book Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Giff begins where the main character, Hollis Woods, recounts a meaningful picture of her first grade year.

The assignment was to find a magazine picture that had a w in it.  Hollis brings in a picture with a mom, a dad, a brother, and a sister.

Sadly, her first grade teacher draws a big x over the picture saying that there is no w in the picture without letting the little girl explain herself that it is a wishing picture, a wanting picture, or a wouldn't it be nice picture to have such a family to call her own.

Hearing those words (yes I did read this book on audio as I shoveled about 8 inches of snow off of my driveway), ripped my heart open.  Hollis is a foster child that never knew her family and goes from home to home because she runs away from the places where she lived.  All she wants is to belong somewhere.  Many considered her "a bad child" because of her behavior both in and out of school.

Of course, being a first grade teacher, those opening pages made me think.

Was there a time that I brushed a child aside not interested in what they were trying to tell me?

How could I listen to my children?

It also helped me to understand some of the struggles that my own students might be facing.  Maybe this could explain a little their behavior within my classroom.

One person once told me that the students who are acting out are shouting out for help and for love.  Hollis Woods is doing the same.

The entire book goes back and forth between present when Hollis is about 13 at her newest placement, Josie, a sweet old lady who was formerly an art teacher, and her placement before with a family.  Hollis is an artist, and she uses her art to express herself whether capturing the pictures of a moment or catching the beauty of her favorite places.  Each character within this book comes alive with his or her own personality, own little quirks that are woven into Hollis's story.

 Overall, I was surprised by this book.

When I first heard about it, the person recommending the book said that it was about a foster girl and there is a boy that she thinks she does not deserve.  In my mind I said, aww how sweet, a romantic novel!

And yes that description that was given is correct; I though was wrong in my perception.  It is not about romantic love...it is about the love of a family.  Hollis experiences a lot and for such a short book and a children's book,  I feel like the author did a good job in portraying her situation, bringing her to life, and creating empathy with her current circumstances.

I can imagine my fourth graders that I student-taught having a lively discussion about the book, the characters, and their own personal connections.  This book is certainly an upper elementary book (it would probably go over much of my first graders' heads especially because it is not linear in story telling).  For upper elementary and above, I would recommend it.  

I know the book made me think.  It gave me a different perspectives on those challenging students that I have in my class--their own struggles outside of the classroom, in their own families.

Though it was not an earth-shattering book, I did enjoy it.  It is also worth to note that it won the Newbery Honor book in 2003, so I am not the only one who thinks that it is a worth-while book.  Reading this book challenged my perspective on what it means to belong and to be loved.

Have you ever stopped and listened to a student's struggle?