The Country School is an independent, coeducational, Pre-K through 8 school founded in 1934.
Right Start Blog
What Do You Want Me to Know?
Lower School head Kitty Davis shares advice from a favorite read from our Theory into Practice group.
As part of our professional development at the Country School, we have a group for faculty and staff called “Theory into Practice” or “TiP.” This is a wonderful opportunity for us as educators to get together and discuss books that we read as a group, on a myriad of topics. TiP helps to keep us up to date on the latest trends and research in the field of education. The subjects run from the most recent studies on reading instruction to how to help our students grow socially and emotionally.
This past month, the TiP group has been reading "I Wish My Teacher Knew" by Kyle Schwartz. This amazing book came about after Kyle Schwartz, a third grade teacher in Denver, Colorado, asked a simple question of her students: What would you like me to know about you?
The responses to her simple prompt were astounding. Many were funny and light-hearted, and others were sad and heartbreaking, but all were extremely moving and informative. This basic activity reinforced for Kyle the need for educators to understand the individual realities that students face and allowed her to create an open, safe and supportive classroom environment.
Ms. Schwartz shared this activity with other teachers through Twitter, and it soon became a sensation. Other teachers tried the exercise and had similar insights, and many sent her their students responses as well. These responses have helped teachers to truly understand some of the problems and concerns their students have outside the classroom and have facilitated greater success at school.
This simple activity has reaffirmed for me the importance of talking to our children as educators and as parents. We need to ask these basic questions and wait patiently and attentively for their answers. Show your interest by saying such things as, “Tell me more about…”, “Really!” and “Go on…” Ask your children what they feel about things they’re telling you. Don’t just assume that your children will inform you when they are worried or concerned about something. Watch them closely and prompt them when it looks like something is bothering them. Giving our kids the opportunity to be open and honest is the key to understanding them, and therefore, being able to teach - or parent - them accordingly.
I am reminded everyday how important teachers are to the lives of their students and how greatly they can affect their students’ lives. We are so fortunate here at the Country School. Our faculty has much broader goals than simply instructing students on basic subjects like math, science, reading and writing. We work hard at really getting to know all of our students as people. This helps us create classroom communities on a much deeper level designed to support all students' learning abilities, confidence, and success.
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