Hope: Helping students struggle out of the dark

Awhile back, I woke up in the middle of the night to strange rustling and struggle in my closet. My initial thoughts were the boogey man was there to get me, but as my adult brain took over I went to investigate the noise and found my dog. My 65 pound, lanky, English Setter mix dog, named Ranger had somehow wandered into the closet at 3 o'clock in the morning. My closet is small and has a low hanging bar that I hang shirts on.  Ranger went in and tried to turn around and walked his head straight through a shirt. Now his head was stuck in a shirt, the shirt was stuck on a hanger, and the hanger was stuck on the bar, so he was stuck wrestling and fighting his way out of the precarious situation. I'm not sure how long he had been in there, but eventually I got him out and we were able to settle back in for the night. 

Metaphorically, this can happen to students too. Their minds can go into the dark places and get stuck. Some students have problems pulling themselves out and they think this is the best it is going to get. Some struggle and fight till they make it out on their own. Then there are others who struggle until someone wakes up, realizes the struggle, and offers help. 

Students deserve to have teachers who are in tune to their mental health and status. "Being close to a caring, hopeful adult paves the way and prepares the heart for hope. All children are not born into loving families, but even on caring adult can buffer a child from the pains of the past and the fears of the present. Only with that support and protection can our youth invest in the future. Only with the help of a caring, hopeful adult do our young people have the luxury to imagine a better future" (Lopez, 191) 

Educators can get caught up in assessing, curriculum work, planning, and grading and forget there is a child behind all of that . A child who is "stuck" and needs help. Take time to check on the mental status of students in your class. They may not be able to "get out" or even know why they are stuck, but they need someone to wake up to their situation and help!

Stop Technology Integration!

Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event. – Heidi-Hayes Jacobs

Technology has become a part of our everyday lives from smartphones to tablets there is rarely an hour that goes by we aren't using some piece of technology. I make an appointment with my hairdresser, and I pull out my phone to plug it into my calendar. I drive up to the Subway, and put my order in on a touch screen before reaching the drive-thru window. I want to take video of my dog jumping through the fall leaves; I grab my tablet to record. These pieces have all become part of my daily life. 

According to a study done by Common Sense Media, teens spend about nine hours a day consuming media. James Steyer, chief executive officer and founder of Common Sense Media stated " It just shows you that these kids live in this massive 24/7 digital media technology world, and it's shaping every aspect of their life. They spend far more time with media technology than any other thing in their life. This is the dominant intermediary in their life." 

There are other statistics about how much screen time teens get every day, or the amount of teenagers with personal devices, but the bottom line is that students are growing up inundated with technology. No longer is using a laptop, tablet, or cell phone "new" and "exciting" for kids and we need to stop acting like it is. Students need to be allowed to use the tools at their disposal to complete their learning tasks. Teachers don't need to teach them how to use Prezi, or set up an account to edit videos using WeVideo. Instead , teachers need to create deep thinking problems and allow students to discover, learn, and use new tools to help them complete the task at hand. The days of choosing/teaching a specific technology are over and a new era of simply using the tools at hand has been ushered in. It's not technology integration it is simply life to today's students. 

About Me

"Kansas leads the world in the success of each student"

Education is an awesome profession that has the ability to change a student, a school, a town, and even the world. Kansas, aka The Land of Oz, aims to be a world leader in education. 

Jessica Mossman is a Kansas educator. She is has taught fifth grade, middle school, an instructional coach, and is now system wide implementation coach. Jessica has received the Technology Rich Classrooms teacher of the year award, and is a national presenter on instructional strategies and technology integration.