The child who
is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.
~ African
Proverb
The aforementioned
quote speaks to a few of our more difficult students. Many of the students that come to us during
the year are the product of various teachers and even more teaching and learning
styles. These are the students that are apprehensive
about learning and leading in the classroom environment. As an educator of over
14 years, I have seen this many times.
Students that don’t trust their teacher won’t trust the process. If they don’t trust the process, then their
ability to learn will be compromised.
Our village of
educators must embrace these students in an effort to change the trajectory of
their experiences. As we learn our
students, we grow to understand that their life experiences are the sum total
of what they have encountered. This statement
simply means that as you learn your students and their stories, you see that
their story contributes to the little person in front of you.
In essence, as the
proverb states, “a child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down
to feel its warmth”. Students seek
attention as they yearn to be embraced by their village. As an educator, we are the village that must
embrace them. The amount of attention they seek varies, but if given, it will make for
a much smoother transition. Many times a
little “warmth” goes a long way.
