In my life, I've had many instances of broken communication lines. I fought with my siblings, parents, and arch rivals at school (kind of like the unibrow baby in Simpsons). Either way, in each instance, someone was there to catch my mistake for me and guide me to a morally correct conclusion. Most of the time this happened I wasn't volunteering, but would go along with it. Why you ask? Good question.
Back to present. Kids can be so mean to one another without knowing it. Or they know it and don't care. So where do I fit into this? I can try to guide them with examples of respect and positive communication. I can catch them when they falter, and volunteer them to do the right thing, but everyone knows the saying about horses and water. Or at least seeing a man about a horse, or whatever.
I think I've found the link. Common unity, or community for short. I grew up with a strong community to embrace me when necessary, and show me the right track. Many of the kids I see today are losing that sense of community. Crisis fill our nightly news, and parents have less and less time to devote to building community. Now I'm ranting. I suppose I'm just pondering how to solve my dilemma, any suggestions?
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3 comments:
I wish I had a good comment, and that my good suggestion could help the neiborhood too. Things are getting really out of control.
I'm not going to fill this whole space with technique or educational theory. What I can say is hang in there, reflect a lot, and learn everything you can. Devour books. Look at Kagan Cooperative Learning materials and Tribes Community building. What I can tell you is that everything takes time. And you have to specifically dedicate time to doing it. We rush to teach content, and at this age specifically, they need more social learning than anything. I'm rambling. Stay consistent, stay firm, set solid expectations and follow through with consequences. Being friendly is possible, being their friend really is not. You have all the pieces, my friend. You have a compassionate soul the likes of which I have ne'er seen before. Hang in there. It won't always seem so low.
Thanks for the encouragement. That's why its hard for me to grasp the idea that people out there lack community; I have a wealth of it spewing from my friends.
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