A teacher’s job goes well beyond the curriculum. It actually doesn’t even start with the curriculum. It starts with something a lot simpler. But simple things are often the hardest things to teach. Math is easy in comparison to the lessons that I want my students to leave my classroom with at the end of June.
I want my students to be able to function in society. I want them to be able to develop academically and personally. I want to help them develop aesthetically. And I want them to realize their full potential.
One of the ways to do this is to educate them about the hats that we wear. For instance, we all speak and behave differently depending on where we are and what situation we are in. A lot of students don’t think this is the case.
I have a lot of different hats but my students only seem to see me as a teacher who knows everything. By Grade 4 they need to realize that I don’t. I admit to making mistakes, and believe me, I certainly have made them in the classroom.
Role-playing is a great way to show students about the hats we wear. We can role-play how we would act for the queen, the prime minister, the reverend, our best friend, a police officer, the mayor, etc.
I think kids are actually looking for very specific guides and they often don’t get them elsewhere. I try to teach how to problem solve, how to resolve conflicts, and how to get along with people. These things may take away from my time teaching math, science, and social studies but they are equally important. They don’t need to be marked but they do need to be taught.
6 responses to “Teaching The Hats We Wear”
Just in the world around us you see that kids are different they have less respect to the adults. Its hard for teachers to do the lessons because kids are too busy doing whatever they want, I admit to texting in classes sometimes and then I wonder why my grades are low. lol But I think it also should start at home too the parents have the responsibilty to teach their kids. I think that if they want the teachers to teach other things they should pay teachers more than what they make already. But wait this actually doesn’t make sense with what you said but I just have a lot to say. And I can go on and on and on if you want. Hey I should put my pics on the web a lot my pics are good. I am taking a photography class and I got one pic in an art show and then another picture in a photo contest and I am sure I will WIN but I will have to keep you updated on how I did in the contest! My teacher likes my pics she said I should go to school for it that would be cool but I think I will stick with teaching!!
Hey Lizzy Dizzy,
A blog is a good place to put up photos. You should start using yours for that. Photography is a good hobby. I’m sure it would be a good career too. It sounds like you are motivated to be a teacher. If that’s what you want, stick with it. I’m sure you’ll be great.
I admire your goal and your awareness that social and emotional competency building is as critical as academic skill building! I work for a non-profit organization focused on teaching educators and counselors to incorporate social and emotional skill building into their work. You can’t imagine (or perhaps you can) the resistance we meet sometimes. I’m glad to see your post.
motivated yeah right my mom is trying to get me out of wanting to be a teacher. Im not good in school I have been struggling ever since 8th grade and my grades are not that good. she says that the work in college is going to be a lot harder than what it was in high school. and I don’t want to put my self through all that pain of not being able to make it so i don’t know what to do???
Hi Beth, I’ve been teaching like this for years. Sometimes I feel that it isn’t enough. I want to do so much more to help the kids in my class and my school. I am always striving to improve and help them make wise, independent choices.
I understand the roadblocks you probably run into as well. I don’t know why fresh ideas are met with skepticism. Besides, I don’t think this way of thinking is novel at all. It goes back to what teaching is all about.
Lizzy Dizzy, post secondary education isn’t hard if it is something you want. I was really motivated in university. At first, it seemed a bit overwhelming. It is quite different from high school. My first essay assignment in university was horrible. It was the lowest mark I had ever gotten. But I learned from that, and excelled. You can do it too.
I am soo tired that I can’t type that much today and I am just so stressed out everyone can tell I am not myself I’m quiet and just kept to myself