October 14, 2010

Trust

Written by: Judy Voisine, CITC Reading Teacher, Willow Crest Elementary School

“I don’t want to do this!” yelled Gabe. It was November and I had just assigned a regrouping worksheet to my Alakanuk 2nd grade classroom. I realized that what Gabe lacked was even more crucial to our relationship than his non-ability to rename tens and ones. Gabe did not trust that I would ensure a successful outcome for his journey through learning regrouping! Unfortunately, Gabe was used to people getting frustrated with his academic struggles and giving up on him. I did a quick “mental rewind.” Had I also been guilty?

I approached Gabe’s desk and knelt to bring my face to his eye level. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest and his scowl was profound. Keeping my voice low, I reminded him about the science experiment on evaporation he’d struggled with. Did he remember how his ice cubes had melted before beginning the experiment and how we’d gone out on the school porch and chipped ice to use instead? The scowl lessened. I reminded him of last week’s story that had seemed impossible to read on Monday, but that he breezed through on Friday. He smiled. He had really liked that story.

“Gabe,” I said, “I know this is really hard right now, but I know you can learn to do this. Lots and lots of kids have had trouble with this before. They’ve all learned how, and you will too. I won’t stop helping you until you do. I promise!” Over the next few days I worked with Gabe on this concept whenever time allowed. Eventually, Gabe did learn, and became so proficient that I asked him to help his peers learn how also. Explaining the process to others cemented his learning, but even more importantly, boosted his self-esteem. “I’ll help you. I promise!” I heard him proudly proclaim on occasion.

Eventually, Gabe’s outbursts became less frequent and vehement. He still demonstrated frustration, but trusted that I would support him and wouldn’t let him fail.

I hope this story demonstrates how I gained the trust of a youngster on the Yukon Delta!