Giving Students Room to Run

I read the article Giving Students Room to Run by Lorna Greene from the Teaching Tolerance Spring 2011 edition.

I chose this article because the title caught my eye.  I am always telling my fourth graders to read the back of the book and the first page or two to make sure it is a good fit and I did not even listen to my own advice!  I also though the grabber really worked, that is what I tell the 4^th graders grabs your attention as a first sentence.  The 1^st sentence of the article was, “In the third grade, near the end of World War II, I learned why I wanted to be a teacher.” 

The article explained what a great impact a teacher had in this author’s life.  The author gave a detailed account of how this teacher related to a student who now may have been diagnosed ADHD or autistic.  The article told how the teacher taught respect for others to all students as they observed the respect she showed this student with his “different” needs.

This article brought to the front of my mind how we treat each and every student is still one of the most important lesson for other students.  It continues to be what students remember even in this “testing” era.  

I think this is a good reminder to all educators that if we do connect with all students, differentiate the way we approach them and talk to them we will get further with educating them.

Greene, Lorna. "Giving Students Room To Run." Teaching Tolerance 39 (2011): 1-3. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. <http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-39-spring-2011/giving-students-room-run>.