“Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won't do that.”
This quote means a lot to me. I feel like as an educator it is so important to remember what its like to be a child. In the classroom I do not consider myself to be a "boss" or "superior". I consider myself to be a guide. I am a guide that helps my students grow and learn.
I am 26 years old and I hope that my feelings on this will never change. Some of my co-workers say I am so good at relating to my students because of my age. However, I feel I will always be able to relate to my students regardless of my age.
What are your thoughts on this? What role do you play in your classroom?
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Kacie,
ReplyDeleteI think it's a little bit of both...age definitely affects how comfortable the kids feel around you and your "relatability." For instance, I have no problem discussing "techy" stuff with my kids (ex. iPods, cell phones, Kindle, blogging, etc.) but my 79 year old curriculum leader has no frame of reference whatsoever.
That being said, how react personally with them is so important. The way I relate with my students versus the way one of my fellow colleagues (who is a female friend and my same age) relates with her students are very very different.
Are the co-workers who said you relate well with the kids b/c of your age much older than you??? It would make sense that someone like that would make that kind of statement.
G