My story of Institute is about Kenyon. From day 1, I knew Kenyon was one of my most intelligent
students. However, Kenyon struggled
behaviorally and it was hard for him to focus in class. He never acted SMART and it was tough to get
him truly engaged in class. It seemed
like I was always reminding him to stay on task and giving him warnings. I’d say “I know you can do better than this,
you’re an incredible student and just need to focus.” He’d nod his head and get back to work, but
soon, he’d get rowdy with the students sitting next to him. In the school I taught at this summer,
whenever a student disobeyed directions, they would earn a demerit. I don’t remember how many demerits I gave
Kenyon. I knew he was one of my students
who struggled behaviorally, but he really didn’t stand out from any of my other
students. Unfortunately, I found out
halfway through Institute from my Faculty Advisor that because he acted out in
the hallway, he earned his 13th demerit and wouldn’t be with us for
the rest of the summer. I know that the
reason Kenyon didn’t feel invested behaviorally solely did not rest on me. But I knew I played a large part in not
making my classroom environment expectations clear enough. I knew I failed him, and I knew I didn’t want
to do it again with the students I had left.
Joshua was another one of my
students who found it difficult to behave appropriately in class. He never completed his work, and would often
make jokes or talk to the other students around him. Because of this, he was the only one of my
students failing my class. At the rate
he was going, I knew he’d earn his 13th demerit in no time; if not
from me, then from another teacher. I decided
I’d speak to Joshua privately during lunch.
I told him what it would take to improve his grade, and he agreed to
come in during lunch every day for extra tutoring and the chance to make up some
of his work. On the first day, I was
shocked to see the difference in Joshua’s focus when there was no distractions
for him. He’d listen to my instructions,
and in no time he was actually calculating slope and graphing linear
equations. The confidence he received
due to his small victories at lunch soon helped him improve behaviorally in
class. I realized that his tendency to
act out wasn’t because he sought attention, but rather he didn’t understand the
material when he was unfocused. I
thought back to Kenyon. I thought about the learning that was lost, and how
much more Kenyon could have grown the last weeks of the summer. Was a
one-on-one session during lunch all he needed?
Could I have reached out to him sooner?
I know that as a teacher, it may be
impossible to reach every single one of my students. I know that with only a class of 15, I had
trouble doing it. However, during my 5
grueling weeks at Institute, I learned a lot.
I know the importance of catering to every student’s needs and to never
give up on any of them.
By the end of the summer my
students made 53% growth. But my story
of Institute isn’t only about the progress I made as a teacher, but also about
the personal relationships I made with my students and colleagues. My story is about Darrion who at the beginning
of the summer knew little to no algebra, but made the most growth in my class
because he actively sought out help. It’s
about Busayo, who has excelled academically, but learned to help his classmates
succeed as well. And it’s about Aaron,
who struggled behaviorally at the beginning of the summer, but turned it around
once he was invested. I love each one of
my students and I wish I could continue to teach them and watch them grow. I know its cliché, but I learned a lot more
from my student than they learned from me
I also learned a lot from my
colleagues this summer.
Shout out to the math team: Johnathan
is one of the smartest people I have had the pleasure of meeting and I know
he’ll transfer his knowledge of content onto his students. Carl makes guided notes like a machine,
perfectly scaffolding and thinking how his students will interact with the
material. Michael has an incredible ability to connect every single one of his
lessons to the real world, always explaining why students should care. I’ve never seen someone who work harder than
Sarah which shows how much she truly cares about her students. And last but definitely not least,
Ellen! Ellen makes every single second
of every single a day a blast. Both
inside and outside the classroom, she makes life fun and its been so great
hanging out with her.
Megan, Jenny, James, Jake, Claire,
and Ali of the science crew also astounded me with their teamwork, cooperation,
and the ways they found to make each lesson engaging
I’ll miss you all so much when I’m
in Detroit, but I have no doubt that Chicago (and Indiana) will have nothing
but the best teachers in all of you
Also here is a link to a video we made for our adviser Chase
I also was the luckiest man alive
in that I got the coolest roommate in all of the Detroit Corps. Not only was Adam the funniest, most
intelligent, and hardest working Corps member I had the pleasure of meeting,
but he was always there for me and made me feel better after a long and
stressful day. Also he can rap like a maniac
I also had the best school team: Special Thanks to my CMA Chase, my FA Justin,
my CS Kristin and SD Emily. I can’t
thank these people enough for how much support they gave me over the
summer.
I could go on and on about all of
the terrific people I met in my students and in my colleagues, but this post is
already rather lengthy
I just want to end by saying my
time this summer at Institute has been absolutely life changing. I've never
done anything so challenging yet so rewarding in my life. I learned so much
from my kids and I know every single one of them will make their dreams come
true. Now off to Detroit!
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