So this is the time of year that gets fun and rewarding. I've worked all year to establish relationships with students and establish a classroom climate that all students realize is welcoming and accepting. I've taken times to force students to participate; I've even bribed them with extra credit at times (which I'm perfectly okay with).
We are about a week into our novel reads, and I will be working harder and harder at doing less and less when it comes to class discussions. I'm asking them to contribute to a "novel blog" I'm using through Google Classroom. I'm backing off in my involvement in class discussions and letting the students dictate what they want to discuss.
AND IT'S JUST ABOUT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR!
It's part of the job, though. My job, as I see it, is to get these students ready for college level dual credit ENG 101 and 102. When they leave, I want them more mature and more comfortable participants, so they can then feel comfortable in college coursework.
As crazy as it sounds, this time of the year is where I find out to what extent I've done a good job. And I get to work with the student like this for about a month, then it's summer, and then next school year starts in August with a brand new group of immature squirrels to work with.
It's rewarding to watch them pick each other's brains and be accepting of each other's viewpoints even if there are differences. They have learned to be patient and attentive listeners and not to be afraid of sharing an alternative or minority viewpoint.
The older I get, the more I try to appear that I'm not doing anything at all. The students are working, I'm just monitoring and evaluating. It's fun.
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