Making Connections

Fule for Thought

 

Recently, a PE 20 student of mine had to miss school for a family trip followed by an Educational Forum in Ottawa. Now to me, these are important things, not to be missed.  

However, that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun on her return! I drafted one of “Alice’s” good friends and I told her to follow my lead. I found a very small rubber basketball about the size of a jaw-breaker, and told Alice I had to see if her sports skills were still okay. I had her pal toss a ball back and forth to “Alice” and she had to catch it with both hands, then each of her hands, and finally with both hands standing on one foot! Of course the slightly confused student passed this “challenging” PE test, and I informed her she was okay come back to Band PE!

Humour has always been one of the things that has kept me sane teaching, and hopefully, the students have learned while having fun. We all know the typical jokes and comments teachers get … we only teach for two reasons (July/August) and that we’re just glorified baby-sitters. I used to let that get to me, but having been a part of an awesome staff, I know different. I’ve had my children go through our public system and I’ve seen how teachers prepare for hours for classes/labs, coaching a variety of sports outside of school for free, and supervise clubs and dances. The teachers I know are not in it for a two month Summer Break.

We’ve laughed with (and at) students, been invited to their weddings, had babies brought to us to see them, and we’ve mourned at funerals. One year at SHS, we tried a “Secret Angel” plan, where each teacher picked a student who we felt needed some attention and secret support. The student I picked was new to SHS, and I’d heard he was having trouble making friends. In fact, I had been told that he was eating his lunches in a bathroom stall! As my colleagues did with others, I “adopted” this student. I’d try every day to connect with him, introduce him to kids I thought he’d like, and I saw him grow in confidence and develop good friendships. There were about 30 of us teachers doing the same thing, and 30 students were being helped on a regular basis … kids we felt needed a “boost.”

One year, one of our teachers returned from a teacher-exchange to Hamilton. She told us of their school program called: “Breakfast of Champions.”

In this program, teachers picked students using a variety of criteria. Students may have overcome serious problems, changed attitudes toward school, done extra things to make SHS better, or been a strong, but quiet. Then the chosen kids would get invitations to come to a large breakfast, be praised in public, and have photos taken! The papers really supported us, as did local businesses. I’m happy to say that this Breakfast has gone on for over 20 years, and we even made it so there’s one in each semester. That way with our staff of about 45 … 90 kids can get positive recognition!!

Another connection with students for me has been comic books and Graphic Novels. As a kid, I didn’t like to read books. Now this is ironic, because I went on to have an English minor, and I’ve now taught English for over 20 years! Maybe you were a kid of the 60’s or 70’s, when comic books only cost between 12 and 15 cents! My brother and I would each buy eight comics with our weekly allowance, and STILL have money for candy! Life was good! It was all THAT reading that helped me with my reading. I can still remember learning some of Mercutio’s death lines from “Romeo and Juliet” in a Green Arrow comic! About 20 years ago, I began to use comics and that has continued in to my Eng.10-4 classes. Back then, it was comics that helped me connect with a tough student. I would regularly bring in comic books he liked, and that started to get him enthusiastic about reading. In fact, Deb was absolutely horrified when I got a phone call from Spy Hill Penitentiary on a Friday night! It was my former student, who told me that he had made some bad choices and he had to pay for them. What he REALLY wanted me to know, was that he was still reading comics! He eventually settled down, kicked his addictions, and became a family man.

The connections teachers make with students can often be as important as the actual lessons being taught. It’s these connections that also make school more enjoyable. So, I’m okay with the teacher-jokes, they come with the job. Students also come with the job and teachers wouldn’t want it any other way!

 

(“Fule for Thought” is a slice of life humourous column that appears in the Strathmore Times, written by long-time resident, town councillor, high school teacher, coach, husband and father of two – Pat Fule. If you would like to get in touch with Pat, you can send him an e-mail at Pat.fule@shaw.ca)