Where are my Students REALLY From?

Look closer…    Naomi’s Photos

My students spill out of taxi cabs each morning, rubbing their sleepy eyes after early morning pick-ups, napping or texting through the traffic jams on the long way to school.

Some are from homes where no one gets up before they do,  to see that they leave without breakfast and have packed nothing but party snacks in their school bag for the long day…

Others are from big hugs and best wishes for their day at school, armed with the knowledge that someone is interested in knowing how the day turns out.

They are from blindingly new cell phones, complete with accessories, screens lighting up their lives, from shame masked by annoyance at teachers who insist on such unattainable things otherwise known as pencils and schoolbooks, knowing notes to parents will go unheeded.

Some are from a lifetime of dodging communication pitfalls, guessing meaning from partially heard sentences, tiring easily by the necessity of being constantly alert, at home and at school. From relief at coming to a school where they are no longer the only student with a hearing aid in the entire school – always conspicuous, sure that whispered conversations are about them.

Are you listening?
Naomi’s Photos

Others are from a world full of hands in motion, sailing confidently in a sea of visual vocabulary from birth, signing their pride to be Deaf and their frustration with the world which doesn’t use Sign Langauge, while resenting school organized efforts to create shared experiences between hearing and Deaf peers.

Teenage students of mine come from long trips abroad with their parents during the school year, from dealing with the anger of the same parents for then doing poorly at school, while trusting these parents to bully their teachers into forgetting about the missed material, evading the demand for buckling down.

Adolescent students of mine are from dependence on parents to navigate the world for them, from apron strings tied with double knots, cell phones bridging the distance, tightening the knots that need to be loosened.

My students are from a belief that I always                                                               know where they are really from.

Day in, day out, I give it my best shot.

 

Where are YOUR students really from?

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This post was inspired by the following talk:

The power of digital storytelling | Emily Bailin | TEDxSoleburySchool

 

 

16 thoughts on “Where are my Students REALLY From?”

  1. Naomi, such a sensitive and caring post. It reflects who you are. Your students are beyond lucky to have you as their teacher.

    1. Thank you, Lauren!
      I don’t know if all students would agree with you, I strive but make mistakes. I don’t always get, or it takes me time to understand what they already expect me to know. And it all needs to be relearned with every new batch of students – thank goodness I have them for three years, so it’s only one new grade a year.
      Thanks for your ongoing support!
      Naomi

  2. Naomi, This is beautiful in that it makes us aware of the rich and complicated world behind each of our students. I want to share it with others. Thank you, Sharon Kleinerman, English Matia Eitan.

  3. Naomi, this is amazing. What a talented storyteller you are. Your post makes me think differently about my own students.

    I haven’t seen this TED talk. I’ll watch it later when I have a chance. All the neighborhood bells are ringing now, and that’s my alarm to stop doing personal things, too.

    Have a wonderful day!

  4. Naomi, I just came across your post — it’s beautiful and I can’t tell you how incredible it is to see my talk inspiring others. Thank you for your teaching and work in the world. This made my day!
    – Emily

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