Tonight we had Parent Teacher Conference which means I was at the school for almost 14 hours and I'm exhausted. So I really hope this is coherent. Right at the very end of conferences when everyone is cleaning up, I had a set of parents needing to talk with me. It was the best conference of the night. Their student is a great guy who I have really struggled getting across to. I know he is struggling with the math, yet whenever I try to help he waves me away claiming that he understands and is okay. I asked mom and dad if they had any advice for me on how I could best help him. I learned more about his past in math classes and how he has been shuffled around promising that this teacher or that teacher will get him up to speed. Yet he has never been brought up to speed. He has lost his confidence in any ability to do math. He started out this year with some optimism and was actually doing pretty decent the first few weeks. But then we took our first test and he received a 66%. From that point, I and mom and dad have seen a drop in his effort and confidence.
This whole conversation had got me thinking about a lot of things. How can I help this student find any bit of confidence? How can I get across to him so that he will accept my help? How can I do all this without embarrassing him and making him feel singled out in class? These are my challenges.
So, how would my Savior, the Master Teacher, handle this situation? I can definitely relate to this student spiritually speaking. I have felt my confidence lacking and wondered if I could ever be up to speed again. It's like I have gaps in my spiritual education that no one has been able to fill. I show up to class. I roll through the motions; say my prayers, read my scriptures, go to church, etc. But wonder if I will ever be good enough, perfect enough, smart enough. I don't want anyone to know I am not as perfect as their lives all appear to be so when asked if I need any help, I wave people off and say I am just fine. Yet inside I feel worthless.
Reality is, I still haven't figured out how I can help my student. Because when I am him in a spiritual sense, the Lord continues to be there ready to help BUT I have to make that choice. I feel like He let's me struggle in order to increase my faith. Yet I realize that in my struggle, He is right there whispering words of confidence in my ears, placing angels in my life who see me as someone more than I see me, blessing me with so many tender mercies that I WANT to have my confidence. And as soon as I start to see that even though I received a 66% which in most senses is failing, I received a 66% which is 66% more than I knew before. Then I begin my journey back to confidence in the Lord and confidence in myself. That confidence helps me try a little harder and be a little better and hope to receive at least a 67% the next time.
So I guess my conclusion is that I need to somehow whisper that confidence in the ear of my student, try and connect him with others who will see more in him than he sees in himself (starting with myself), and share with him tender mercies in some way or another. All in hope that he will choose to want confidence in his math abilities and begin to believe in himself.
This whole conversation had got me thinking about a lot of things. How can I help this student find any bit of confidence? How can I get across to him so that he will accept my help? How can I do all this without embarrassing him and making him feel singled out in class? These are my challenges.
So, how would my Savior, the Master Teacher, handle this situation? I can definitely relate to this student spiritually speaking. I have felt my confidence lacking and wondered if I could ever be up to speed again. It's like I have gaps in my spiritual education that no one has been able to fill. I show up to class. I roll through the motions; say my prayers, read my scriptures, go to church, etc. But wonder if I will ever be good enough, perfect enough, smart enough. I don't want anyone to know I am not as perfect as their lives all appear to be so when asked if I need any help, I wave people off and say I am just fine. Yet inside I feel worthless.
Reality is, I still haven't figured out how I can help my student. Because when I am him in a spiritual sense, the Lord continues to be there ready to help BUT I have to make that choice. I feel like He let's me struggle in order to increase my faith. Yet I realize that in my struggle, He is right there whispering words of confidence in my ears, placing angels in my life who see me as someone more than I see me, blessing me with so many tender mercies that I WANT to have my confidence. And as soon as I start to see that even though I received a 66% which in most senses is failing, I received a 66% which is 66% more than I knew before. Then I begin my journey back to confidence in the Lord and confidence in myself. That confidence helps me try a little harder and be a little better and hope to receive at least a 67% the next time.
So I guess my conclusion is that I need to somehow whisper that confidence in the ear of my student, try and connect him with others who will see more in him than he sees in himself (starting with myself), and share with him tender mercies in some way or another. All in hope that he will choose to want confidence in his math abilities and begin to believe in himself.
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