I want Momley Teacher!!!!

Those were (not exactly) the 4 words that got me to finally start the conversation with Michael.

The 4 words (actually) uttered by one of my work kiddos - not once, but twice, on 2 different days … got the ball rolling. Both the times, we were outside for recess, and this little guy wrestled with Michael and ran towards me and held my hand and happily walked with me. The first time, Michael looked perplexed. The second time, he wondered why the little guy would say that?! Then, he comforted himself by remembering that the parent mentioned their child gravitated to females more than males!

I simply listened and decided that I really needed support to get Michael to reflect on not just that one situation, but on all the other situations in our classroom.

Before I continue, I want to say thanks to the boys’ UB who suggested that I talk directly to Michael (and perhaps not have conversations with everyone else about Michael!). Obviously, I have condensed several words of wisdom into that one ‘sort of sentence’, but that was the gist of it.

So, I approached the other ISP team and asked if we could have a team meeting. I couldn’t just walk up to Michael and talk about all the deficiencies in the way he fulfills his role as a CYW. Fortunately for me, the other 2 had some grievances as well and were happy to have a meeting. This morning, Michael realized that he needs to do more than what he is doing right now. I hope the realization leads to some action.

After the meeting, Michael acknowledged that he is happy to work with me, and he couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. He said he likes our classroom. I felt the need to remind him that Ms Bean and I worked hard to get the classroom to where it is now. And we must continue to keep at it. That was literally the message I had for him.

At the end of the day, I couldn’t believe how easy it was for a 7-year-old to ask for what he wanted; in fact, demand it! And it took me several days and a couple of conversations with friends and a few posts here and a little dilly-dallying to finally ask a person to do what he needs to do!