day three-choice

Today we began the day with our usual morning meeting, but Ms. Jorde decided to use this space as an opportunity to talk to the students about a new middle schooler who is joining our building.  This new student is severely disfigured--to the point that all staff were briefed about his arrival so we could prepare ourselves, and our students, to see him in the hallway.  Before school the fourth grade team had met and the other teachers were chatting about how they were nervous about how to prepare students.

I was SO impressed by the way Ms. Jorde navigated this with our class.  She began by reminding our students that there are many kids in the school who were born with differences and that these differences cannot be changed.  She asked one of our students (who she knows well from last year) to share about the braces he wears on his legs.  Then she asked students to think about whether they were born with any differences that couldn't be changed (kids offered examples like eczema and asthma).  At this point she brought up the new student, and mentioned that he might look pretty different, and we might even be surprised by it the first time we saw him.  She gave a few of the details we were told at the staff meeting, but didn't dwell on descriptions.  Then she said that she wasn't sure, but had a feeling this student might be a bit nervous about how others would treat him at a new school.  She had students volunteer ideas of something they could say if they saw him in the hallways.  The first two responses came simultaneously--"say hello!"  At that point she closed the conversation and moved on.

I really appreciated her authentic conversation with the students, the way she connected with them on this question, and the way she kept the conversation brief.  I think I might have drawn it out much longer, which would have been unnecessary, and ultimately made this into a bigger deal than it was.  I am so glad I got to see an experienced teacher handle that.