be positive

had another long day of classes, then went to the middle school for what we'll call tutoring orientation. i'm excited to get to work with the kids, and the money ($25 for an hour and 15 minutes of work) is a huge plus. one of the teachers who's going to be working with us kind of frustrated me though. i totally understand where she's coming from, saying kids like to run over college students because they think they're young and will be fun and let them get away with stuff. but come on lady, give us the benefit of the doubt, we're friggin' education majors. i guess i just get bothered by people underestimating my capabilities in general. i can't imagine what it's like to be a kid with a disability. i should stop whining, 'cause i'm sure they have people telling them all the time that they're aren't expected to succeed.

i'm reading this article about positive reinforcement and praising kids, and all i can think about is the kids that i've worked with. i've been so tempted to tell teachers to make an effort to praise the kids in every possible instance. it's natural for teachers to only correct what the kids are doing wrong or fuss at them for something, because that's a lot easier to do than intervene positively and with patience. no kid will try if all they hear about is what they're doing wrong. it drives me crazy. you're there to teach them, not dehumanize them. use whatever reinforcement it takes to get them to learn! the natural reinforcers obviously aren't there, so you've got to push them now and gradually let the natural ones kick in.

there's so much about public schools that i want to change, want to fix. i hope i never lose this fire. if i do, i think i'll quit.