I think this was one of my overall favorite lessons. We were asked several questions about Jacinto and his time in the classroom. I learned alot just by listening to a podcast. I learned that no matter how bad you want to give up on a child because they are troubling, don't, because you never know what that child may be going through away from school and how much that child needs your support.
EDUC 2130 – Lesson 7 – Culture and Community
In a couple of paragraphs, describe Jacinto.
Jacinto was a sixteen year old and was living with his grandmother. He had been in foster homes and she took him in after he had left his second. Jacinto was the “bad boy” type. He was tall, handsome, and muscular. One thing about Jacinto was that he was angry all the time. He obviously needed some kind of angry management, and not to mention, a little help in school.
Jacinto’s parents were never apart of his life. His mother was a drug user and his dad was abusive. Jacinto went through so much in his life already with him being just sixteen years old, and really all he needed was the right amount of attention. That’s when he got put into Tom McIntyre’s special ed classroom, after all the other teachers had given up on him.
When Jacinto told his teacher (Tom McIntyre) to “blank” Off – what was the teacher’s response?
When Jacinto told his teacher to “blank” off, Tom McIntyre’s first response was that “off” was a preposition and couldn’t be used at the end of a sentence, so he may want to rephrase it. Tom McIntyre says that it’s important to not let anything a student says get to you personally. Students that have behavioral issues are trying to find a soft spot in you. That’s when teachers need to show those students that they aren’t going to give up and they aren’t the same as the other teachers who had given up on them. With students like this, you need to look past the behavioral issues and look at the student.
What happened to Jacinto?
After Jacinto said this to his teacher, all the teacher did was redirect him. The teacher didn’t pay any more attention to the situation more than he already did. Even though Jacinto knew what he said to his teacher was rude and disrespectful, he didn’t get punished for it.
Based on what happened to Jacinto, why do you think the teacher, Tom McIntyre, wanted to share this story?
I think he wanted to share this story to tell current teachers and future teachers how important it is to not focus on the negativity that a student does all the time, but redirect them into something positive. Students with behavioral issues need that extra attention at school because they may be lacking it away from school. All Jacinto wanted to do is feel apart, and that’s what Tom was trying to do with Jacinto. It’s important to not neglect a student in your classroom because they may be going through something in their lives that may result in bad behavior.
Describe two of the most important (in your opinion) things you learned by listening to this story.
As teachers, we need to learn not to let negativity from our students get to us personally. It’s important to push all the negative things to the side, even when it may be hardest, and look at maybe why the student is acting the way they are. Neglecting a student can result into even more damage in their lives than what is already there. Students who usually have behavioral issues are going through something hard, and all they want is to fit in with the “crowd”.
I still think redirection is also an important key to teaching. When Tom redirected Jacinto into something positive after he had just disrespected him, is very important. It shows that you care for the student’s grades and want them to succeed. Tom showed, to me, that he wasn’t going to give up on him, and that he wasn’t like the others.
Did the community let Jacinto down? Why or why not?
The teachers that Jacinto had previously, did let him down. They gave up on him. Jacinto did misbehave and got himself into trouble by himself, but the teachers shouldn’t have given up on him. Yes, he was a sixteen year old student that had behavioral issues, but he was just asking for attention. He wanted to fit in. It’s important to never give up on students because you never know what kind of difference you could make in their lives.
Summary
This was a really great lesson. Tom’s story really showed how important it is to ignore the negative comments and focus on the student. Tom never gave up on Jacinto like the other teachers, and that made a difference. Not giving up on him showed how important it was to Tom that Jacinto succeeded in school and how much he cared for his students and his career.
Research Question
How should teachers properly handle a student with a bad behavioral issue?
Reference(s): http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/25-sure-fire-strategies-handling-difficult-students
Research Analysis
Misbehavior is going to happen in the classroom, but teachers need to remember not to get frustrated or angry when it does occur. They need to take a deep breath and try to remain calm. Teachers need to try to set a positive tone and their response needs to be appropriate. As teachers respond to a student who is misbehaving, they need to be clear that they dislike their behavior at the moment, not them. Teachers should give the misbehaving student a time to respond positively. For example, students need to address what they did wrong, and how to correct it.
If misbehaving were to happen, teachers should always try to keep a positive, smiling look on the outside. You want to keep a positive attitude because that’s what you want your students to act like. Be a good listener to ALL your students, even to the misbehaving ones. Try to never choose favorites between your students, this could cause even more misbehaving in the classroom. If a teacher were to have to talk to a student about their misbehavior, it should be done in private. You don’t want to embarrass your students.
If a teacher’s and student’s personalities clash, the teacher should try to understand where their student’s behavior is coming from. They could be going through a rough time at home. It’s always a great idea to talk to a student if you think their misbehaving may be resulting because of something else. Remember to always use a positive attitude when dealing with students who are misbehaving. It won’t be easy, but it shows them that you care about them, and they may need that encouragement from you.
Research Summary
The research I found will help so much in the future when trying to handle a misbehaving student. These are really great tips to go by if you do have a student with behavioral issues, but it’s always important to never give up on that student. I think all teachers should remember that all a misbehaving student needs is encouragement and love. They need to know that you care about them and want them to succeed in school.