Tutoring Workshops: From Power Points to Power Naps

Once a month, I was required to attend a tutoring workshop. Although I was at first extrinsically motivated to attend these sessions with the promise of pay, after the first workshop, I became enthralled with the topics we were to discuss. The first two workshops covered the steps we should take if a student is showing signs of depression, an eating disorder, or other mental health issues. We learned what the acronym "ALGEE" stood for and its meaning:

A - Assess for Risk of Suicide or Harm
L - Listen Nonjudgementally
G - Give Reassurance and Information
E - Encourage Appropriate Help
E - Encourage Self-Help and Other Support Strategies

For this particular workshop, the presenter used a power point as a tool to present the information to us. Although the information was extremely helpful and interesting, the power point was not too exciting, and the presenter was slightly dull to listen to. I may have been a little drowsy, since the workshop was held in the morning, but I do believe the presentation could have been a bit more "exciting." The information is, by nature, depressing, but the presenter could have gotten us involved in a discussion to keep our interest. The involvement of the listeners is good teaching strategy that could very well prevent some from dozing off. One positive incentive the presenter provided us with was snacks and beverages, which never fails to impress hungry college students!

Our most recent workshop was about stress management, in preparation for the extra stresses of final exam week. The presenter had us do de-stressing breathing exercises while listening to soothing music. This may have been the most effective presenter of all of our workshops, considering I fell asleep! Usually, falling asleep during a presentation would be a sign of a poor presenter, but in this case, falling asleep illustrated to the presenter that her de-stressing was effective. Perhaps teachers could implement this technique in the classroom during times of high stress. Naps are not just for kindergartners!

The Student of the 21st Century

Sitting in a desk made for someone twice as small as he, Phillip uncomfortably leans to his left and taps his friend, Max, on the shoulder. The two make eye contact, and Phillip passes a piece of notebook paper to Max. He laughs and shows Phoebe, who sits behind him, the content of the paper. Phoebe's face turns bright red as she tries to quiet her own laughter. On the paper is a drawing of their math teacher, Mrs. White, with an enlarged nose and mustache. Because there are forty plus students in this class, Mrs. White continues to lecture without noticing the students exploding into giggles in the back of the room. Her dull voice along with the sound of chalk scratching on the chalkboard drowns out the whispers and laughter. No one is learning. In fact, everyone has their brains turned off, including Mrs White.

There are several reasons why learning is not happening in this math class. Years ago, in the very same situation, learning may have occurred. The times have changed, however. Students cannot function in a large lecture-like atmosphere. They need to be engaged in what they are learning. Creative juices need to flow!

First off, if Mrs. White must have a class with forty students, her approach has to dramatically change. Perhaps she could allow the class to split up into smaller groups. This could allow for healthy conversation and for ideas to be shared among classmates. Instead of lecturing, Mrs. White could assign problems that the groups could discuss and solve as a unit. This would engage the students while forcing them to think critically. Mrs. White could reward the group with the quickest response as well as the group with the most creative approach. She could address each unique way of solving the problem and have each group explain to the class how they approached the problem. 

Creativity is a skill that the average student of the 21st student needs! Similarly to how education is changing, the business world is changing, as well. Employers are looking for applicants who can think critically and do the necessary work. Inventiveness needs to be addressed in schools so that students will be prepared for the changing real world.

Award-Winning Author Attempts to Warn About Bullying Within Schools

Jodee Blanco, in a fit-for-television performance about her teenage years, engrossed her audience with the ugly truth that lurks behind the walls of schools: kids bully kids. Blanco offered the parents in the audience advice on how to deal with both the kids who bully and those who are bullied. Despite her odd quirks and somewhat eccentric advice, Jodee's purpose for speaking out deserves our full attention. Bullying in schools is certainly a problem that needs to be addressed, and teachers and administrators must know how to do so appropriately. If a student has been noticeably picking on others, teachers should not ignore his or her actions. Teachers should make sure the student knows that his/her actions are having a negative impact on others and should punish that student. Advice should be given, but the advice should be realistic. For example, bringing home a dog that is scheduled to be euthanized may seem like a "cure" for a mean child, but in reality, there are no guaranteed results for this approach. Speak with the student's parents and suggest "good deeds" or character-building activities that the student can do. Maybe even bring up the idea of seeing a family psychiatrist. For the child experiencing the bullying, similar ideas can be brought up to the parents. No results are guaranteed for any of these approaches, but it is vital that teachers and administrators do not ignore the signs of bullying. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byEFkqHqABM

Reflection: The Forgotten Step

Reflection is often the forgotten piece of the learning process.  It is what comes after the teaching.  Reflecting upon a concept is sometimes viewed as difficult to do because some students (and even some teachers) are not worried about actually retaining information.  Some only learn information for a test just to earn a good grade.  There are teachers who only teach in order for the students in this short-term manner, as well.  Reflection requires legitimate thinking; there are no short-cuts involved.  Even the teachers who do believe reflection is important fail to incorporate it into their lessons because they fear the students will not comply.  I believe students will not refuse to reflect, as long as the process is set up properly.  Simply asking students what they have learned will not add up to a worthwhile conversation.  Approaching reflection in the same way as actually learning information is what works -- CREATIVITY is necessary!  Have students write about what they have learned and how it might be useful.  Have the students blog about their learning experiences! A good way to ensure that reflection will indeed occur is to have everyone fill out a K-W-L chart.  By first figuring out what students know and want to know about a topic, they become more conscious and alert while they are actually learning, leading to a better "reflective conversation" at the end of the process.  This reflection is key -- students are more likely to remember what they have learned if they are given the chance to look back and reflect upon it.   

When the Learning Light is Extinguished

Generally speaking, when a teacher displays genuine passion for the subject that is being taught, the students can sense that passion.  Because they can feel that their teacher is truly enjoying themselves, they are more likely to develop a similar passion.  Learning becomes fun.  Sometimes, it is obvious that the instructor has a deep passion but for something other than what they are teaching.  I witnessed this in the eighth grade.


I developed a love for American history in the fifth grade.  I loved everything about my history class: listening to my teacher lecture, taking notes, participating in activities, and working on group projects.  When it came time to take the class again in eighth grade, I was ecstatic.  I couldn't wait to learn even more about our country's history.  After the first day of that class, however, I knew it was going to be a completely different experience than the one I had imagined.


As the coach of the junior high boys' basketball, high school boys' baseball, and high school boys' golf teams, my eighth grade history teacher could be summed up in one word -- coach.  He sported a jersey of some kind everyday, and even had some of his sports equipment at the front of the room, just in case he felt like practicing.  As someone who wasn't interested in sports at all, I wasn't too thrilled to be in this environment.  I did give him the benefit of the doubt, though.  I thought that perhaps the man might have two passions in life: athletics and American history.  Boy, was I wrong.

Did we ever open the textbook?  Hardly.  Did we go into detail about anything that might have been in that textbook?  Nope.  Did we learn how to swing a golf club? Certainly.  Of course.  Why would we not learn about the game of golf in American history class?  I was heated for the entirety of the school year.  The only academic tasks we did were the random projects he assigned.  If we did the project, we received an A.  If we chose not to, we received an F.  At the end of the year, when the eighth graders were expected to pass the Constitution test, he "prepared" us in the way he believed was best.  He simply gave us the answers a few days prior to the test and told us to memorize them.  He really should have received some sort of Teacher of the Year award for his effort.

My eighth grade American history teacher did obviously have a deep passion, but it wasn't for history.  Because of this, I really didn't enjoy the class at all.  In fact, I temporarily lost my love for history.  It wasn't until I was a senior in high school that this passion was rekindled.  How did I uncover this lost love?  My teacher displayed a passion for the subject.  That was all it took.

 

Be True to Your School

Teachers cannot be robots. If every school was furnished with teachers that had uniform teaching styles and opinions, then we would all have a limited view of our world.  Everything would be black and white.  The truth is this: teachers are humans, and humans all carry a different set of values.  Although some of us were nearly certain our third grade teachers lived at school and didn't have lives, we must come to the reality that they are just like you and me.  In fact, relatively soon, I will become one.  I will have to make that tough decision of when to draw the line when it comes to authenticity in the classroom.

Where are the limits for expressing authenticity?  To be honest, I'm not entirely sure there are limits . . . at least, I don't think there should be.  I believe the best possible learning experience a student can receive is done so through a personal relationship with the instructor.  In order for this comfortable environment to be created, the teacher should be genuine.  Teachers need to be themselves because, more than likely, they can get their point across best when they are at their true state.  Students can tell when their teacher is being fake.  It can be detected so easily that as soon as the students catch on, all attention is lost.  The moment a teacher puts on a mask and delivers information in a manner that is not sincerely his/hers, the personal connection with the students is immensely weakened.  Learning can occur if the students do not feel comfortable.  


  

A Life Lesson a Day Keeps the Discomfort Away

There was an English teacher whose room was the pit-stop for several students during the passing periods of my high school.  Some came for a mint- or fruit-flavored lifesaver candy, which were always in the back of the classroom.  Others came to socialize with students who also chose this particular room to stop in.  Most, however, came to listen to the teacher with a different life lesson each day.  Let's call her T.Q.

T.Q. was not your ordinary high school English teacher.  She tap-danced to demonstrate how to vary sentence structures.  On your birthday, she let you dig for a surprise in the treasure box.  If you looked particularly nice any day in class, she cued up "I'm Too Sexy" on her boom-box and demanded you do the "catwalk."  She occasionally picked a student for the whole class to interview.  We students were her family.  At the end of every single class, she would say, "I love you, and you are very special."  It was clear she meant what she said.  Compassion was something T.Q. showed on a daily basis.

T.Q., similarly to how an elementary school teacher readies her class for story time, would sit at the front of the room at the beginning of each class.  Life lessons were given every day, no matter what.  She shared stories that were happy, emails that were funny, and personal experiences that were downright depressing.  Because she took the time to share these stories with us, a deep connection was created between T.Q. and the students.  She showed compassion on a daily basis; there was absolutely no doubt that she was going above and beyond what was expected of her.  T.Q. didn't just teach us about grammar -- she taught us what it felt like for someone to truly care.

The story that really got me tear-filled was something personal T.Q. decided to share with us.  She told us about how she was so happy and blessed to have three beautiful daughters and a wonderful husband.  Then she told us about how she nearly lost every bit of that.  T.Q. began to have horrific migraines.  When she would wake up each morning, her pillow would be mysteriously damp.  She soon realized that the dampness was from fluid draining out of her ear at night.  Thinking the worst, she scheduled a doctor's appointment.  The doctor told her there was nothing to worry about.  A simple tube was to be inserted in her ear, and her symptoms would disappear in no time.  As it turns out, many appointments later, this tube was completely worthless.  Feeling like she had no other choice, T.Q. took matters into her own hands.  She Googled her symptoms, which led to what she was fearful of -- a brain tumor.  

T.Q. had to have a few surgeries, but she survived.  When she shared this with us, she let us into her life.  The invisible line that most teachers draw to separate school from their personal lives did not exist in her classroom.  Personally, her life lessons were sometimes exactly what I needed to hear on a particular day.  I believe most of my peers felt the same way.  I know this because her room was never empty. Before, during, and after school, I would drop in to visit T.Q. and find her talking with other students.  Her compassion made her more than a teacher.  I will never forget T.Q.