In the TED Talk, “Children Who Challenge Us”, Kjerstin Owren begins by describing a challenging student. Without using names, describe the most challenging student you have in your classes right now. What ideas of Kjerstin’’s can you apply in your work with this student? What is your response to Kjerstin’s “one question that you need to start asking yourself if you want to join in making this change.”?
My most challenging student is one that was put into my Algebra 2 class without having passed Algebra 1. Slipped through the cracks and wasnt discoverd until deep into the 2nd quarter. They have stopped taking notes and even trying to work. I expressed concern, which led to the discovery of the failed grade, but due to timing, he is still in my class until the end of the quarter. So asking myself how can i help the student get to the end of the quarter and not feel like they have wasted their time and are an even bigger failure in math. Worked one on one with the student just to get to a passing grade.
ReplyDeletedescribe the most challenging student you have in your classes right now. What ideas of Kjerstin’’s can you apply in your work with this student? What is your response to Kjerstin’s “one question that you need to start asking yourself if you want to join in making this change.”?
ReplyDeleteThis year has actually been one of my easier years (cross my fingers to not jinx my year...knock on all wood in the room). So I will think back to one who I talk about when I think back to a challenge that I feel was a win. He was going to fail out of high school. He wasn't on track to graduate Senior year. I couldn't seem to motivate him. He had a tough home life. He was parentified for younger siblings. He was working to help pay for things at home. He didn't see much of a bright future.
I kept trying to get him to see options for education -- maybe even the military to pay for school. He had just never been told he was smart enough to have much of a future as an option. So I went to the principal. I asked if we could pull him from all afternoon elective classes and just sit him in my and another instructor's classroom all afternoon to work on missing and current work for core classes. Slowly but surely -- his grades rose. He needed someone who just wanted him to succeed. He needed the voice consistently telling him the light was ahead.
It really helped to remind me as a teacher (not for the first time, but a good refresher) that we must be the voice that starts echoing in their head like Maggie Smith's "Good Bones" -- "we can make this place beautiful."
We eventually got him to graduate. We got him to a recruiter. He joined the Army National Guard. He was able to open up opportunities for himself that he didn't see as a door open previously. That means something. As teachers, we have this chance to change people's stars. We can help change entire trajectories of one or multiple generations of families if we can just get them to see they can take the steps and take the chances.
The most challenging student that I have in my classroom right now is a student who is on an IEP and also diagnosed with Autism. Everyday is different, the interventions that I try with him work one day and the next they do not, which makes it challenging to find resources that he will respond to on a given day. This particular students struggles to complete tasks that are undesirable to him, but also cleaning up from tasks that are desirable to him. When working with this student, I have to seek out and implement new resources to best support him. I have to remind myself to relate to things that he likes such as trains, cars, etc. When doing this, I do have success with him, but there are times that I have to work hard to relate the undesirable tasks to things that he likes and enjoys. I have to remind myself of what this student needs from me right now.
ReplyDeleteMy most challenging student is a student on an IEP with a diagnosis of Autism. He just moved to the US recently and his parents are uneducated on how to parent him and help with his behaviors at home. He struggles to follow any direction and play appropriately with toys, he is always throwing them. I can see he knows better because he always laughs after he does the inappropriate action. It has been hard finding things he likes, teaching him to use things appropriately, and not reacting to negative things he does in the classroom. I know a little about his home life and think "if it's like this at home, what can I do here when he is at school for 3 hours." I have pre-judged him. One thing Kjerstin said was not judging others or talking badly about others. I have always know this but it hit home when I realized I have done this with this student. I am going to work on the way I treat him and act around him. I am going to continue to teach him how to use items appropriately and continue to offer him 1-on-1 para/teacher support to help him in school. I am going to work on making sure I am treating all students the same so I can be a part of the behavior change in students.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most challenging students in my class right now demonstrates significant unsafe behaviors that often feel unpredictable. For example, when he is invited to join circle time, instead of coming to the group he may throw chairs or elope from the area. These moments can disrupt the classroom and create safety concerns. Some of Kjerstin’s ideas that I can apply include being more aware of my body language, offering more positive feedback, and intentionally building a stronger relationship with this student. Taking more time to connect with him outside of challenging moments may help him feel safer and more understood in the classroom. Kjerstin’s “one question” about what we can change about ourselves really stood out to me. My response to that question is: What can I change about myself first to be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem? This mindset encourages me to reflect on my own responses, stay calm, and adjust my approach so I can better support this student’s needs.
ReplyDeleteThe most challenging student I can think of is one who often reacts quickly when frustrated and has difficulty regulating emotions, resulting in completely shutting down. This student can become defensive or as I shared just completely refuse to respond. Often this seems to happen when they are feeling overwhelmed, targeted or that a situation is unfair. While this child’s behaviors and responses can appear defiant on the surface, it is often clear that the student is struggling with stress, confidence, and a feeling that school is not a place where they are successful. I often think that children who are hurting in one way or another show that in all kinds of ways and remind myself that this child is likely in pain. They need encouragement, love, kindness and patience.
ReplyDeleteOne idea from Kjerstin Owren that I can apply in my work with this student is the importance of looking beyond the behavior and working to understand what the student may be experiencing. It is important to consider the whole child and the pain or struggles that they are facing, while remining calm and focusing on what they are feeling. Instead of focusing only on correcting the behavior, her message reminds educators to approach challenging students with curiosity and empathy and considering their whole being in and outside of school.
As a School Counselor, to me, this means not just looking at the behavior alone, not just seeing a challenge and an act of discipline, but instead taking the time to build a relationship with the student, helping them identify what triggers their frustration, and teaching strategies that help them manage those emotions in healthier ways. It means listening. A lot of listening and patience. It also means working collaboratively with teachers to create consistent responses that focus on support rather than punishment.
Kjerstin is essentially asking educators to reflect on what the student’s behavior is communicating and what the student might need from us in that moment. Instead of asking, what is wrong with the student, we can begin asking what do I need to change in me? What is the student experiencing? How can I help them? Those questions can help guide more compassionate and empathetic responses and help the student to develop skills rather than simply addressing behavior. When educators approach students with this mindset, it can lead to stronger relationships, better understanding, and ultimately more positive outcomes.
The most challenging student I have right now, is extremely defiant and does not want to lift a finger. I need to start small and ask myself- how can I get him to complete at least ONE assignment this semester. I am taking the time to build a strong relationship with this student , in hopes that he will gain enough respect for me and himself to complete an assignment.
ReplyDeleteIn the TED Talk, “Children Who Challenge Us”, Kjerstin Owren begins by describing a challenging student. Without using names, describe the most challenging student you have in your classes right now. What ideas of Kjerstin’’s can you apply in your work with this student? What is your response to Kjerstin’s “one question that you need to start asking yourself if you want to join in making this change.”?
ReplyDeleteMy toughest student right now is actually a 1st grade girl. She is extremely defiant, but along with that is very physically aggressive when she gets mad. She hits, kicks, and punches both students and teachers. The question, "what is it that I need to change about myself to help this student be more successful", has my gears turning.
Right now, I can't think of anything that I can change right this second. I have tried building a relationship with her. I try to bring enthusiasm and excitement and continuously give her high-fives, but sometimes something triggers her without me even realizing it. She switches at the drop of a hat, and I think I just need to get to know her better to be able to identify what sets her off.
My most difficult student right now is actually one of my academically high students. He does well in all subject areas, school comes easy for him, all of his peers like him, and he is never in trouble. Recently if an assignment is not something he wants to do/doesn't have an interest in he will immediately say it is too hard and he doesn't know what to do. This is mainly happening during writing, but has happened in reading and math too. He will start crying, make loud sighs, and turn around in his chair and glare at me. His classmates see his behavior and will look to me to see what will happen to him. Wondering if they can also get out of doing the assignment.
ReplyDeleteTaking a step back and looking at the whole environment, and not treat some students differently. Adults need to change our views and not expect to change children's views. Changing our attitudes, body postures, how we talk about other people, who we make fun of, who you say hello to. We need to look at the system around the children and change the adults and the environments.
In the TED Talk, “Children Who Challenge Us”, Kjerstin Owren begins by describing a challenging student. Without using names, describe the most challenging student you have in your classes right now. What ideas of Kjerstin’’s can you apply in your work with this student? What is your response to Kjerstin’s “one question that you need to start asking yourself if you want to join in making this change.”?
ReplyDeleteMy most difficult student right now regularly gets gets upset and frustrated or reacts inappropriately when work is hard for him. He regularly makes comments out loud with other visible signs of frustration. There are time that his behavior disrupts the entire class making it challenging to continue to teach or manage the classroom. His behaviors are similar in other classrooms too.
Kjerstin explains that challenging behaviors is often a form of communication verses only bad behavior. Kjerstin encourages trying to understand what is underneath the behavior verses responding to correct the behavior with punishment. By taking the time to understand what is underneath the behavior, I might discover that the student is confused or overwhelmed.
I can also apply Kjerstin's idea of remaining calm so my emotions don't get the best of me. Reacting calmly and with empathy will allow me to build a relationship with this student so they feel supported and understood which should decrease negative behaviors.
My one question is wat is this behavior trying to tell me? This question will help me see behaviors as a clue to something different. It will hep me respond to behaviors better verses being quick to respond with emotion which will only make the behavior worse and affect my relationship with the student.
As I am not currently teaching, I will use an example from the past. I had a student on year who was extremely challenging. This student was an only child, and was treated as their precious "baby," so was behind socially, emotionally, physically, and mentally. He was on an IEP for behavior and academics. This student used inappropriate language, and references from R rated movies (as a second grader) that his parents allowed him to watch. He physically hurt other students, and often needed intervention. It was much easier for me to show my frustration and irritation with him rather than showing him grace and compassion (which he desperately needed). I appreciated this TED talk, and how she talked about looking to change things about ourselves to become part of the solution. If this was a current situation, I would have liked to change the way I responded to this student. I would have liked to show him more gentleness, care, and love. I would have liked to be a better support for him.
ReplyDeleteI think that I will answer this question a little differently. I thought about what student I could write about and struggled to think of one individual. I really have a lot of great students. I want to talk about a small group of students. The group is the 6th boys at my school. They really struggle with maturity and they often find themselves in trouble often. The behaviors come from each other, they really get along with each other (until they don't). It has been a tough year for us teachers dealing with this group and we have all found ourselves getting very frustrated with that same behaviors over and over again. I, personally find myself feeling so guilty that I let the group effect me! As the year has gone one, I've learned to remain calm with them and explain why their behaviors are a problem. This seems to help in the short time but the behaviors but the behaviors haven't stopped. We just need to remain calm and build there confidence and build off the good behaviors.
ReplyDelete