What Students Bring to School

It's almost so normal, that we don't pay attention to it anymore, but think about all of the times a student did not come to school with paper or a pencil. You (like me) probably rolled your eyes, and worked to provide the student with what they needed to make it through your lesson. It is easy for teachers to complain about what students do not bring to school. We find ways to get around this problem most of the time because doing anything else is counter-productive for us.

With all of the things that frustrate us about what students do not bring to school, it is easy to loose sight of what students do bring with them every day. Students bring the thoughts and words from their households and community with them everyday. These ideas cloud their judgement at times and keep them on the right path at other times. This week I have been hit hard with parent fears about their children. America is very divided right now. Politics, religion, race relations with police, immigration, terrorism and many other factors flood students ears at home and they can't help but bring these ideas to school with them everyday. As the election approaches, we are likely to see outward expressions of these things that students bring to school with them. I want for us to treat these the same way that we treat the missing pencil. We give them what they need to be successful in school and in life, and despite our personal frustrations or disagreements, we teach them anyway. Young minds are impressionable in many ways, and while they may hear things that we do not agree with, we still have to show them how to be the best person possible. They will remember that part as well.