Words
of Wisdom
Updated
7/01/2010
Freshmen
The first few weeks of high school for brand new Freshmen can be a bit
traumatic. Everything is so new, not only the surroundings, but also
the atmosphere, increased freedoms and more responsibilities. In
middle school, these new 9th graders were the top-of-the-heap, the big-men-on-campus,
but when they entered high school, they became the littlest fish in the
pond.
On the positive side of the spectrum there are those freshmen that handle
this transition in stride. Often they have received good coaching
from their parents or a little help from an older brother or sister.
I often marvel at the composure and self control some of my students show
after the first week when they see just how fast the work piles up.
You can see them focus, prioritize, and give the effort necessary to accomplish
what needs to be done. "Good Work!"
On the other side of the spectrum, there are those freshmen who enter high
school and look like a deer caught in the head lights. These are
the students who did not attend Freshmen orientation because, "I don't
like school," or "it's not kool." On the first day they
are lost. They don't know where their classrooms are, they show up
without a schedule, nothing to write with and no paper. In addition,
they may have a negative attitude toward the entire concept of secondary
education.
When you teach freshmen, you get students for both extremes and in the
middle. One sad part of the teaching game is the students on the
negative end of the spectrum get the majority of your attention.
You learn their names first. You spend time developing a seating
chart where you can have a positive effect on them. You spend more
time watching them to make sure they are on task than you do the students
on the positive end of the spectrum.
So with that in mind, what can a teacher do to create a positive learning
experience for all the new freshmen?
1.
Create Structure: If a student is able
to establish a routine it creates a comfort zone. Make your lesson
plans have a structure that you can follow day to day and the students
can anticipate.
2.
Be consistent: If it is good today,
make the same thing good in May. If you told them it was a classroom
rule on the first day of school, make sure it still applies and is enforced,
even when it is inconvenient to you.
3.
Communicate: Communicate: Communicate:
Just because you say it, doesn't mean they understand it. You may
have to explain things three or four times. But, once you are sure
they understand it, hold them to it.
I am far from a perfect teacher, but I have studied the psychology of the
14 year old freshmen very closely for the last 15 years. It takes
experience and practice to know when to give tough love and when to give
T.L.C. because every freshman is unique.
Nuff Said,
Larry
C. Ingram, ME, USN-Ret
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ME, USN-Ret.
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