Because I am continuously writing IEP goals involving advocacy, this chapter peaked my interest.The quote by the author, James Alan Sturtevant,“Stick out your neck for a kid, and you’ll build a connection,”struck a chord and memory with me. My first year teaching at Plymouth High School the administration had the drug dogs come into the building. The previous district I taught at had never had the drug dogs visit, so this was a new experience for me. All students were to be inside classrooms and doors were to be closed. One of the students I was responsible for during this mod period, who also was on my caseload, was trying to get rid of marijuana and was caught in the hall. The dog smelled the marijuana and my student was sent to the vice principal's office with a police officer. He lived with his grandmother who could not drive and had no one to be with him while the police spoke with him. I sat with him in the vice principal’s office and supported him as best I could without judging, just listening and only giving advice when he asked. From that day on we had a different relationship. We were able to tease each other and he knew I was there for him. He went on to graduate from high school with his peers and had a job in his vocational interest area after graduation. This is just one memory that came to mind when reading Sturtevant's quote, yet it is something I feel still rings true in education today.
Making connections is not always easy. Joshua Block, in the article, “Making School About Connection” in Edutopia describes making a connection in our classrooms as being the host at a party.Teachers should be aware of all the students in their classroom like a host is aware of the guests at their party. Which students are responding to students around them? Which guests are mingling? Which students are not focused on the task? Which guests are bored and ready to leave? Thoughts are evolving about how all students can be involved, feel connected, be willing to take chances, like the life of the party student?
Another great recommendation for connecting with students in the t21st century is through social media. For example, creating a Twitter page to use with just students can help them make a connection with their teacher outside the classroom. The following article, 50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom gives numerous examples for teachers to incorporate Twitter in their classroom. Twitter especially can assist the teacher is making a connection with the quiet student. Through Twitter, students can respond and ask questions that they may not feel comfortable verbalizing in person.
No matter what it is called, advocating for students, making relationships or making connections, it is one of the most important aspects of teaching. The way in which connections are made especially with the ever evolving technology may have changed, but the importance has not. Many times as teachers we get so busy creating lessons, attending meetings, completing reports or grading assessments that we forget that building a connection with students is most important, and all the other teaching responsibilities are secondary.
