June 13
Everyday, I am being surprised by new approaches to teaching, but even more so by new little human beings for me to meet and interact with. The question that stuck with me throughout this entire day is: What is a good person? Certainly good people are a fundamental part of an integrated community!
The day began with a number of students playing with each other in Mr. Brum’s grade 3 class… When the bell went and the students were let in, I realized that some of these students actually belonged to different classes! Soon, they puttered out of the room; it was strange, since I had never seen this before. Apparently this happens on a regular basis. It seems that the students were confident and comfortable in the space that Mr. Brum had created. At the end of the day, Mr. Brum told me what he had heard from the secretary at his previous school: “We lost a safe space when we lost Mr. Brum.” He felt comfort in that, because that was exactly what he was trying to create on a consistent basis, a safe space. I think Mr. Brum is a good person.
As I continued my experience in his classroom, I noticed that his students held a strong sense of ownership and responsibility over their classroom and learning. Was this because they were the “oldest in the school?” Was it because Mr. Brum has established a consistent routine that the students are responsible for? Was it because the students were aware that they were in a safe space? I think it is a mix of all of those things. These students were good persons.
Yet, despite all of these good people, there were difficulties. I began to wonder about the situation of a few behaviourally challenged students in our midst. I asked Mr. Brum, “Why are they acting like this?” Apparently one child’s reactive behaviour is condoned by his father. Furthermore, as we continued our discussion, Mr. Brum called it a “hopeless” situation, and in some ways it is: how can a teacher affect positive change when a major parental figure and role model condones negative behaviour? My question remains… What is a good person? Well, one thing that I know for sure is that good people hold each other accountable to a high standard of behaviour that brings about positive outcomes for each other. Mr. Brum does this when he jokes and laughs with the students; the students, when they correct each other during their self-directed calendar time, do this.