Throughout my time at Riverside High School I was fortunate enough to have developed relationships with not only other teachers but also my students and their parents. To begin, one of my female students was suspended for a week, which greatly affected her grades in all her classes. Her mother was concerned about her progress in the civics class and requested a parent-teacher conference with both myself and my mentoring teacher. After meeting with the mother with the help of the guidance counselor, my mentoring teacher and I were able to work directly with her to help her child and my student get back on the right track. Her mother was very appreciative and requested that I speak with her daughter about her college and career options. The student was having a hard time realizing how her high school career would help her in the long run. I was able to sit down and have a conversation with the student about how the decisions she makes in high school will affect her college career. As of the beginning of the second nine weeks of the semester, the student was doing much better in the class.
I was also able to have an encounter with another female student in the class. She is a very intelligent young lady but got off track when her boyfriend tried to pressure her into doing things that would negatively affect her. One of the Vice Principles at Riverside, Dr. Gary Ackley, asked me to come into his office and speak with her about the situation. She was very upset at the situation she was confronted with and confided in me. I was able to develop a relationship with her over the semester, and I am glad to say she is back on track.
I was also able to develop relationships with other teachers at Riverside. I actively participated in the Professional Learning Communities held every month for Durham Public Schools. My colleagues and I collaborated and came up with ideas the Civics and Economics department could use in future semesters. One of the ideas was to use The Political Machine game in the honors classes. I also attended faculty and department meetings, which allowed me to have an understanding of how the school works.
Getting to know my students, their parents, and other teachers and administrators at Riverside allowed me to add a personal characteristic to my professional experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment