Unique Observations

Katie Egan Cunningham

"As a teacher, I notice students who enter the classroom with their heads held down. I notice the ones who remain silent as they take their seats. I notice who is chatting and about what.  I notice which students open their books with zeal, eager to get to the next chapter. I notice who comes to the rug leaning in to the story I’m going to share.  I notice who takes to paper right away, scribbling away, believing his story is worth sharing.  I equally notice who wrestles with books, who asks to go to the bathroom everyday during reading, and whose pencil remains parked until I come to her side."

This quote is something that speaks to me as I have always been an observer (IMO) during my life. Definitely more introverted than extroverted. I feel like I have always noticed things about people when they may not be outwardly projecting them whether it be feelings, potential thoughts, state of being, etc. Each student is unique in this regard and requires an even more unique approach to reach them. Essentially that extra measure of care, attention to detail, and ultimately building a connection through observation is paramount in my beliefs at being/becoming a good teacher. With this it becomes even more of a creative project to build connections with students within a STEM lens and the tailoring of material to each student could be as much of a challenge as it is an exciting endeavor. I hope to fulfill keeping my observations of my students as an obligation rather than a task and reflecting on them to bring the most to my students as a person and a learner.