*miramichi?
reggie barnes: I think it's safe to say that Mr. Barnes is a people person. I doubt that one person walked out of his talk bored, or uninterested. He has a dynamic personality and a lot to share. Plus he's honest: "I'm making you laugh now, so you won't cry later," he boldly stated to cease the laughter after a funny comment about student/teacher relations. He poked fun of the "bad feeling" he got about Basile when he strutted in and Jason's deep voice. He forced me, who he referred to as Miramichi (a 14-year old student of his), to go to the board to make a "ruler" (I had no idea what he was asking) in front of everyone. But yet, each and every one of us laughed; no one was offended. We couldn't help it--we just had to like him. Something about Mr. Barnes grabbed out attention, and our approval. To describe that "something" simply, I would just say:
PEOPLE SKILLS
I've found that this is one of the best qualities/skills a person can have. You can't get very far if you do not know how to work well with others. It's simple, no one will want you around. You can be the smartest, most competent person for the job, but if you can't communicate or mesh well in a group, the chances of you getting the spot are slim. As a teacher, it's an extremely important skill, since you deal with people every single day--the administrators, the other teachers, and most importantly, the students. Each student is a person, an individual person, and I personally feel that a teacher should treat each as such. The most important words from Reggie Barnes:
DON'T ASSUME
You can't. Every situation is different and unique. "Rules are meant to be broken" Reggie Barnes stated. I completely agree. It's just like in law: You treat the like things alike and different things different. Even law, which represents some of the most concrete rules of all, does not act like a machine gun. If it did, schools may still be segregated, blacks and homosexuals may not have rights, acts of self-defense may always have been found as murder or assault, or privacy may not exist because it is not enumerated in the Constitution. In my opinion, if you know an outcome is right, even if it doesn't flow correctly from the rules, it is ok to make an exception. You never really know the reality of the situation, and so you shouldn't act as if you do.
I've found this idea to be extremely pertinent to summer school. Just last week Joe consulted us about two situations. The first was a student who had "3 absences" (he actually only had 2, but the number was miscalculated). The student said that his previous absence was due to the fact that the school had sent home a letter for pending payment which stated that if the student had not paid, s/he should not attend school. This was true (and a foolish letter not written by anyone here). The student had not paid, and so followed instruction. He explained that he had paid the day of his absence and thus attended summer school the next day. We debated whether or not to expel this student (who we thought had 3 absences). Someone said we should stick to the rules, since other students had been expelled already under the policy. However, this situation was different. He was simply doing what he was told by the letter. I suggested that we first check to see if the student did actually pay--he had. I then suggested that we consult the teachers on the situation. Luckily, before this point, we realized the student only had 2 absences, so it became a non-issue.
The second situation arose with a young female student who had received her second detention for not sitting down during bus club when asked. Now, staying in the seat had never been a rule before. We had never told the students they needed to keep put, and so, as one might assume, they never really did. However, she was asked to do so, and didn't. This second detention would usually lead to a suspension, but yet again, this situation was different. We first looked at the student's previous detention and found that it was only for two tardies. It seemed a little silly to suspend a student for two tardies and breaking a rule that never existed, so we let her off. I feel good about this decision, even though, by policy, she should have received the suspension.
Maybe my approach to things would get me walked all over if I ever become a teacher, but I strongly believe in this method. I think dealing with every situation in a similar manner is the easy way out, and that's just not fair to the students. It's impossible to think up every single situation that might occur and encompass them all into a set of rules that is fair for every person, every time. Therefore, when something comes up that is different, even if only slightly different, take it as it comes--You'll probably feel a lot better about your decision if you do.
I've found this idea to be extremely pertinent to summer school. Just last week Joe consulted us about two situations. The first was a student who had "3 absences" (he actually only had 2, but the number was miscalculated). The student said that his previous absence was due to the fact that the school had sent home a letter for pending payment which stated that if the student had not paid, s/he should not attend school. This was true (and a foolish letter not written by anyone here). The student had not paid, and so followed instruction. He explained that he had paid the day of his absence and thus attended summer school the next day. We debated whether or not to expel this student (who we thought had 3 absences). Someone said we should stick to the rules, since other students had been expelled already under the policy. However, this situation was different. He was simply doing what he was told by the letter. I suggested that we first check to see if the student did actually pay--he had. I then suggested that we consult the teachers on the situation. Luckily, before this point, we realized the student only had 2 absences, so it became a non-issue.
The second situation arose with a young female student who had received her second detention for not sitting down during bus club when asked. Now, staying in the seat had never been a rule before. We had never told the students they needed to keep put, and so, as one might assume, they never really did. However, she was asked to do so, and didn't. This second detention would usually lead to a suspension, but yet again, this situation was different. We first looked at the student's previous detention and found that it was only for two tardies. It seemed a little silly to suspend a student for two tardies and breaking a rule that never existed, so we let her off. I feel good about this decision, even though, by policy, she should have received the suspension.
Maybe my approach to things would get me walked all over if I ever become a teacher, but I strongly believe in this method. I think dealing with every situation in a similar manner is the easy way out, and that's just not fair to the students. It's impossible to think up every single situation that might occur and encompass them all into a set of rules that is fair for every person, every time. Therefore, when something comes up that is different, even if only slightly different, take it as it comes--You'll probably feel a lot better about your decision if you do.
