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Patience, praise and a pat-on-the-back...

A brainstorming session was taking place in Room 202 this week.  Students were asked to search their memeory banks for 8 events.  Four of which they considered "good" events and four they considered "not-so-good" events.  From this brainstorming session they will eventually write a narrative "Memoir" depicting one chosen event and how they felt about it.

I walked slowly around the room as they began their brainstorming.  Blank papers are what I saw.  Fidgity hands, tapping pencils, and long-off stares filled the room.  Occasionally as I passed a student, they would look at me, sport a slight smile, and look down at their blank paper.  Many sought out my examples, still on the front screen, trying to use what I had written during the lesson as a spark for their own ideas. 

I felt like saying something.  I felt like putting some ideas out there for them to grasp on to besides my example.  I felt like they were on the verge of giving up.  I resisted the urge.  I continued walking until I found one student who had written something down.  I stopped behind that student.  I read their thoughts written down from over their shoulder.  I leaned in.  I tapped ever so lightly on the desk, right on the paper.  The child turned their head, knowing I was going to say something.  I read it again, only this time in a whisper.  The student next to us was already looking at this unfold but another student, a few desks away, caught wind of my whisper and looked our way.  I said, in a hushed voice, "This sounds interesting." and more kids looked over at us.  The student said, "uh huh".  I smiled and gave an approving glance, pretending not to notice that several pairs of eyes were witnessing this exchange between teacher and student.  As I lifted my head, I placed my hand on the student's shoulder  and said, "Keep going, you're in the zone now." I looked up and away from that student to survey the room.  Several heads turned quickly, pencils to the paper, and the other previous sounds that filled the room were replaced by the scritch-scrating of pencils.  By the end of the brainstorming session, all of my students had at least six (three good and three not-so-good) ideas from which to launch their papers.

The power of patience, the power of praise, the power of a pat-on-the-back reaches more than just the recipient.   I know my students want to do well, I know they have that desire.  I also know that encouragement, either directly or indirectly will allow them to succeed.


Mr. Casten
Sept. 9, 2011

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

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