So the other day I re-read a blog I wrote from 3 years ago. In that blog I talked about how we as educators all too often don't practice what we preach. We talk to kids every day about being who they are, being true to themselves, etc, etc, etc. We tell them that everyone is special in their own way and that they should celebrate their differences, not try to fit a mold.
And then we turn around and force them to sit up straight, feet on the floor, etc, etc. I talked about how we do that to kids and then tell them to read. That is the LAST way I would choose to read. I don't focus on a book well in that situation. I need to be sitting back, or lying down or something.
So today, I was thinking about that blog post and my thoughts and in walked my first class of the day - 6th graders. 6th graders who, in some cases, really are not fans of school and don't necessarily play the "game" of school very well. One student in particular in this class, struggles with paying attention, staying on task and remembering that he is not supposed to talk whenever he wants to.
They were the first class of the day so they were getting the chairs out. This student grabbed his chair and then proceeded to sit backwards in it and face the kids behind him. I almost told him to turn around and sit the right way. And then I stopped myself. Mind you, this was all in my mind in a matter of a split second. anyway - I looked at him and said, "That's fine, sit that way if you want. But please turn the chair around then so you are at least facing me so you are able to focus on what I'm saying."
He looked at me - shocked. I had to repeat that it was fine, but he needed to turn the chair around backwards then so he was facing the front of the room. He was speechless for a moment, which is a rare, rare occurrence for this young man. Then he turned his chair backwards and sat backwards in it facing the front of the room.
Guess what - he was more on task today than any other day I can remember. Somehow me allowing him to sit backwards in a chair clicked for him and made him able to focus. I don't know if it's the fact that he got to sit backwards and that is more comfortable for him or if he was so shocked that I said it was okay that he just couldn't believe it. Honestly, I don't care why it worked, I just know that it worked.
I will admit, when I first told him I could there was a nagging little voice in my mind saying, "Great, now you've done it. Now everyone is going to want to turn their chairs around just cuz you said HE could." Again - this was a quick thing in my head, but it was there. My decision was 2 fold - 1) who cares if they all want to sit backwards, how does that affect me? If they are in their chair backwards or forwards, why would I care, as long as they are actually paying attention to what I want them to be. 2) I AM the teacher, if it gets out of hand, I can say NO.
Guess what - not a single other student tried to turn their chair around AND not a single student complained that it wasn't fair, or anything. It was a complete non issue in their eyes. It didn't affect them either - well, that's not true. It affected them positively - since this student was sitting this way, he was more focused and on task and thus not bothering those around him by talking, moving around and being a general distraction.
Last year I had a student who really needed to have their chair away from the group. He didn't want to be in the front or even in the middle. He wanted to be totally separated - like he moved his chair each day to the back wall of the room. Again, I was worried at first what the other kids would say and how they would react. But again, nothing. It was a non issue to them. But for this child it did a couple of things.
1) It made him feel more comfortable. It gave him ownership of his placement which allowed him to focus on class instead of not liking where he was.
2) It gave him more respect for me in the classroom. Instead of fighting with me or arguing with me - he now would talk to me, ask questions, volunteer answers. It gave us a better student/teacher relationship.
3) Because of the first 2 things - he did better in the class than he had been doing. He was now able to focus on class and it helped him improve all around!
Two successful stories. Two very easy "fixes" for something that could get troublesome. I've renewed my focus of thinking about what makes it easiest for the student instead of what makes it easiest for me. After all, it's my job to teach these people and if I want to be effective as a teacher, I need to realize that we all learn in different ways and none of them are the "right" or "wrong" way - they are simply different and that is okay!
So, I will continue to let my student sit backwards if that is what is his natrual, normal way of sitting. I will continue to let a student find their own place in teh room to sit if that will help that student do their best.
So please, Sit backwards and see what you can accomplish!
