Chapter 11 Points of interest

Chapter 11 was about Motivation and Management, two key factors in running an efficient classroom. My first point of interest came later in the chapter than I would have expected.

The section that talks about competition as a motivator was a bit lost on me. This summer I started to read a book called "Compassion". It was about Christianity and what it truly means to be compassionate. The authors of the book found that in order to be completely compassionate humans had to forgo any competition. The only problem with this statement is that humans are competitive by nature.

Competition is how we make decisions. Which person would I like to date? What food do I want to eat? These two questions are trivial but they compare different object, thus causing a competitive mindset. I feel that using this mindset in the classroom is completely natural.

If competition does not happen externally (with another person) it will happen internally (with oneself). This competitiveness with oneself is more commonly known as motivation. I see no problem in having a sense of competition in my classroom. I feel it is an innate human characteristic and should be utilized.

My next point of interest comes a couple of pages later in the section about Enneagrams. I thought that this section was very questionable, yet I feel that it is overall useful.

Enneagrams are personality trait tests. These tests determine what type of personality you have, such as a perfectionist. The tests come in handy when a teacher needs to adopt specific strategies for students.

Knowing that you have many reclusive students is a good thing to know if you have an abrasive and brash personality. I think in the grand scheme of things, you do get a feel for people's personalities and are able to change your own if you are to accommodate them. For teachers this skill is necessary.

The last section that I thought stood out was "remembering student's names". Again my first reaction was "Well duh." Then I realized how important a name is to a child.

From my camp experiences as a specialist I have to remember every kid's name. I find that is it pretty easy. However I can see the look on a child's face when I either forget their name or call them the wrong one. They are less likely to participate because they no longer feel connected to me as a 'friend'.

It is such a very simple concept to remember a name, and yet people forget them so often. A good colleague of mine, Brad Hruska, told me some great advice. He said to memorize your students' names before your first day. I asked him how his first day went. He smiled and he said, "Better than if I hadn't learned any at all." Some of the best words of advice I have heard.

I will leave you with some more words of wisdom from Dan Crain. "Your students will never care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Priceless.