Week 2- Comment on Sabrina

I too have watched how other teachers treat students in the public school. Many teachers in the school I taught at were frustrated because the students could not read or do math at their grade level. Students were also not able to speak English or even sit still. Many teachers were ill at the end of the school year from stress. I did not return to that school and have quit teaching altogether. You were smart in going to someone who was more experienced. Good luck in your adventures.

March 12, 2011 9:47 AM This is Sabrina's post

The first chapter of The Art of Possibility drew me right in, because imagining possibilities and thinking outside the box is how I live my life. I have always been a firm believer that people invent their own lives and attitude is what you choose to have.  One of the books that has most influenced me in the past was about Mary Kay Ash. I don’t recall the title of the book, but I was deeply impressed by the way that Mary Kay respected every person that she came in contact with and her philosophy of making every person feel special.  I was reminded of this philosophy again as I read The Monk’s Story (p52). It only takes a small effort to make people feel important and good about themselves, but that small effort has a profound effect.

One of the most disturbing things I have come across in my school is the way I see some of the teachers treat their students. Before I started teaching in public school I taught in a small Christian school that was so full of love that you could physically feel it when you walked through the doors. Teachers were coaches that drew out the best in their students, and even discipline was handled with love.  After a few months in public school I was ready to call it quits. I could understand why some of those teachers were so angry and I was having a hard time handling the students. I was running my classroom the same way I had in my former school, and it wasn’t working at all.  I had to make a lot of adjustments that year. One of them was the commitment to not let my attitude become one of anger and despair, but to keep my joy. I sought out the advice of a more experienced coach, and she taught me how to manage my students more effectively. At that time I made the decision to be a “contribution”. I wasn’t going to get sucked in by the other teachers’ attitudes around me. I have been much happier since, and those results are also evident in the relationships I have with my students.  I have also decided to focus my attention on the teachers with this same attitude and to stay far away from those without it.