The Kids

Millikan Middle School
Ms. Poncin’s Class, Per. 3
02-01-07

I remember vaguely what happened in class today, only because I spent most of the time worrying about how I would get the kids to stop talking. There are about 2 or 3 kids in Ms. Poncin’s class who do not know how to settle down. It’s as if they’re wired to talk back and out loud at every single chance that they get. One of them just has an attention problem and needs to be the center of attention for everything (and also, she sits next to her best friend everyday, which, come next class period, definitely won’t happen anymore). But the other is a special case. It took me a while to try to see things from his perspective, because he was ridiculous in class. He wouldn’t follow directions, he complained about everything, and had to have all the attention – mostly negative, but it didn’t matter. I wanted to yell at him so badly. But I did my best to discipline him without disrupting his chance to do the exercise.

Ms. Poncin told me that he is pretty much the black sheep in the classroom. Having transferred from another school with problems at home with his mother, Christian is not very bright at all. He has self-esteem issues and lack of motivation in class, he does not follow directions, he talks back, and he rolls his eyes at everything. I also think that a main reason why he doesn’t do so well is because he is very self-conscious about being wrong, eventhough there are practically NO wrong answers in my class – especially when they are doing an activity. He is struggling, and I cannot even imagine what it must be like for him in other classes. I want him to be good at least at this class, if not his other classes. How do I encourage his learning while also getting him to knock out his bad habits?

As for Sally (the other trouble maker), I know that she just needs to not sit next to her best friend. I also need to make sure that when she challenges my authority, that I can really stick to my promises about discipline in the classroom. She really just needs a reality check. She is bright, and she does very well with the assignments (when she is actually paying attention).

Jasmine was, again, a highlight of mine today. She is motivated, asks questions, and follows directions. She also goes the extra mile to add her own creativity into every exercise. Today, one of the drawing assignments was to draw from a still life using abstract shapes. She asked me if she could draw the entire still life in hearts. I said “sure,” but inside I was really thinking, “Wow. Why didn’t I think of that?” It was truly amazing what she produced. She is also very considerate and engaged in class discussions. She is also the first one to share her drawings to the rest of the group, and explains every single choice she makes in her art-making. I’m not sure if the other students really listen. This is a skill that I will really have to develop with the kids – LISTENING to each other. Saying POSITIVE things to each other… but there were some instances in which the kids really were positive about each other’s work.

Gladys is a kid who is very positive. She is a very good artist, and she also made very good comments about Paul’s work. She noted everything that she liked about his line quality, and how some parts jumped out at her.

Carla is the shy kid in the class, but today she really voiced her opinion. ☺ I was really proud to see her join in with the class discussion about abstraction and representation. She is very smart. I smiled when I overheard her say after class, “This is cool!” I am happy to see her enjoying herself. If only the class could actually LISTEN to her, as well as to the rest of the class, then they might actually learn from each other. I would love it if that happened.

Paul is smart. He gets everything. I don’t understand why he is in the DRW class. He’s kind of the go-to man whenever I need to procure the right answer from someone. I really would like to see him be more engaged in what other people are doing, though. He has the ability to really be the leader in the classroom, and he shows a lot of potential in becoming that. I would like to see him take more leadership roles in class, such as helping the other kids with their artwork or even commenting on them.