Interviewee: Reading and writing, they hate to read and write, the majority of them and those are like the two most important skills that they need. A lot of them just refuse to read and trying to get them to read is challenging. Those are probably the biggest things.
Interviewer: What about their greatest strengths?
Interviewee: They are very good at expressing themselves. They are good at writing and talking about themselves. We did these shield projects at the beginning of the school year and I took all of their pictures and they put them up. They like doing projects and things like that. I make them do presentations and they have gotten a lot better at that then from the beginning of the year when they would try to fight me on it. …show more content…
Interviewer: What kinds of stuff do they come and talk to you about, without giving away anybody.
Interviewee: Personal issues, like today 2 kids didn’t come to class and one of the kids is like, the student is crying so the other one took them to guidance. They came back after class and just told me that they were going through some issues. They have a lot of home issues and messed up home lives or they are in foster care and it’s just a lot of different things.
I want them to be successful in school, but I just feel like they have so much to deal with, outside of school, and then to expect them to come here and be ready to do what I ask them to do every day, it's a lot for them, because they are teenagers. I feel that I am an understanding teacher.
Interviewer: So, how do you deal with that tension between obviously wanting them to do well in school, but also be aware that they are dealing with a lot of other things besides school?
Interviewee: If they come and talk to me about it, of course I am going to give them some sort of leeway on the work that is due or extend the time or whatever they need, basically at that point.
Interviewer: Do they usually end up getting, like is it that they get more time or do they end up doing less
Interviewer: What about their greatest strengths?
Interviewee: They are very good at expressing themselves. They are good at writing and talking about themselves. We did these shield projects at the beginning of the school year and I took all of their pictures and they put them up. They like doing projects and things like that. I make them do presentations and they have gotten a lot better at that then from the beginning of the year when they would try to fight me on it. …show more content…
Interviewer: What kinds of stuff do they come and talk to you about, without giving away anybody.
Interviewee: Personal issues, like today 2 kids didn’t come to class and one of the kids is like, the student is crying so the other one took them to guidance. They came back after class and just told me that they were going through some issues. They have a lot of home issues and messed up home lives or they are in foster care and it’s just a lot of different things.
I want them to be successful in school, but I just feel like they have so much to deal with, outside of school, and then to expect them to come here and be ready to do what I ask them to do every day, it's a lot for them, because they are teenagers. I feel that I am an understanding teacher.
Interviewer: So, how do you deal with that tension between obviously wanting them to do well in school, but also be aware that they are dealing with a lot of other things besides school?
Interviewee: If they come and talk to me about it, of course I am going to give them some sort of leeway on the work that is due or extend the time or whatever they need, basically at that point.
Interviewer: Do they usually end up getting, like is it that they get more time or do they end up doing less