Aliyah sat and ate her Saturday breakfast as syrup ran down her face. Sticky fingers were created from her waffle and bacon meal as she smiled after each swallow.
"MMM. This is good, Cousin Alonda," she said calling my name as she heard it pronounced from her perspective.
The five year-old girl continued to dig in and I asked if she wanted the same meal the next day. She emphatically responded, "Yes! I want waffles and bacon."
After a long night of playing Wii and watching the "Chronicles of Narnia," "Evan Almighty," and "Ice Age," Aliyah slept long and worked up an appetite. When the morning creeped into the afternoon, Aliyah tip-toed to the kitchen in her toddler socks into the kitchen. I was cooking sausage and pancakes. She frowned at me pouring batter into a pan. I was being judge by a little girl with rollers and a twisted head scarf.
"I thought you said we would have waffles and bacon today," she asked with hand on her hip and eyes looking up at me.
"You don't want pancakes? I already made the batter."
"You said, waffles and bacon."
Without haste, I had to respond to a commitment I made just 24 hours prior and realized in a simple moment to just feed my family, I failed. I failed because I did not listen to the desire of the one I was servicing and made an executive order because the pancakes would be indeed much quicker, less messy, and less challenging to make for my house guests of four. What did I do, poured the pancake batter down the drain and cracked the eggs, opened the vanilla, measured the milk, and whipped the Bisquick to make waffles while the bacon was frying on the George Foreman.
Students, no matter the age, are no different from Aliyah. They will hold us to the committment to teach them, show them, and follow through on the things we say we'll do. Listen to what students want from educators is really as easy as stopping the noise around us, putting aside what we think might be best and hang on to the words they say and those that are never spoken.
We are in the business of serving the student population knowledge. How they receive it depends on the need of that student. Serving Aliyah the requested Waffles and bacon was quality assurance for me, as a cook. She enjoyed the meal. This is not to say she would not have enjoyed the pancakes and sausage, but I did not present the new meal (material) to her without bringing closure to the existing meal (lesson).
Try something new as you transition from last year to the new year and one semester into the next. Ask your students what they expect from you. Make a check list of those items and meet as many of those desires as possible before the school year ends. Chances are, if they see you meeting their needs, you'll notice that you can reach them more and get them to meet the expectations you have of them.
Happy New EAR!
Yolonda D. Coleman
Mentor Teacher and Author
For Additional Information on Project "Unlock Talent To Build Dreams,"
send an email to coffeedreamz38@aol.com.
FOR COLLEGIATE STAFF:
CONGRATULATIONS REBECKAH BRAY: Ms. Bray applied for a grant through http://www.donorschoose.org/ to fund her "Library for the Curious in French" initiative and will be award the resources she need. She requested $351 and granted $351.
NTA Session IV
Thursday, January 10, 2008
4:30pm - 6:30pm
ROOM A303 (Ms. Monfre's Room)
PLEASE CLICK COMMENTS IF YOU'RE WILLING TO HOST US! THANKS.
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