Instead of providing yet another recipe or formula for how to teach challenging students, this book takes the more realistic path of helping you develop a mindset that honors the individuality of each student and his or her own best way forward. Veteran educator Jeffrey Benson draws from real-life scenarios to explain how to create a patient and supportive environment that helps students to learn. Whether you're a teacher, classroom specialist, or school leader, you'll find help in
- Analyzing your students' challenges and developing individualized plans to help them.
- Gaining skills and support and not losing hope through the ups and downs of the work.
- Constructing systems and procedures that give all students the best chance for success.
Find out how a consistent process of sticking with students until they finally "get it" can help you to navigate the complexities of challenging students.
(ASCD Premium, Select, and Institutional Plus Member book, Editor's Selection, January 2014) 6" x 9", 193 pages.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Toni: Absolutes and Teachable Moments
This story centers on a student whose needs bring to question which elements of the school’s culture are absolute, and which can bend.
Chapter 2: Charlie and Dean: Creative Transitions
The stories of Charlie and Dean reveal the problems with transitions: some are about the physical hurdles in schools, and some are about the atypical hurdles buried within the students.
Chapter 3: Rosa: Sitting Together in Silence
The story of Rosa is about the strength of silently hanging in when enough words have already been spoken.
Chapter 4: Marcus: Adults Always Have Ulterior Motives
The story of Marcus is about a student who doesn’t share the goals that adults have implicitly put into place for him.
Chapter 5: Paul: His Chaos, Staff Patience
The story of Paul is about a student whose learning disability challenges the staff’s patience and compassion.
Chapter 6: Cedric: Performing But Not Learning
The story of Cedric is about how, in our effort to be positive, we can mistake guessing for understanding.
Chapter 7: Amanda: Guess What the Teacher Is Thinking
Amanda’s story is about teaching the freedom to think for one’s self.
Chapter 8: Jay and Tito: The Secondary Curriculum
The stories of Jay and Tito illustrate the innumerable considerations and decisions teachers make in choosing what is best for the individual, for the school, and for society.
Chapter 9: Jasmine: The Teacher Stands Still
The story of Jasmine is about a student who needs a very distant relationship from her teacher.
Chapter 10: Lou: Perfectionism and Ambivalence
The story of Lou is a lesson in tolerance for the idiosyncratic ways students grow.
Chapter 11: Katerina: Will This Lesson Be Fun?
The story of Katerina and her classmates is about the expectation to stretch our lesson plans to their limits, with the intention of leaving no brain behind.
Chapter 12: Derek: Slow Processing
The story of Derek illustrates how a student can silently struggle with a disability that is mistaken for defiance.
Chapter 13: Leah: The Total School Environment
Leah’s struggles to hang-in demonstrate that a school’s commitment to its students is its richest curriculum.
References
Index
About the Author
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