On discovering a child’s true strengths outside four walls
In my first student teaching placement, way back in 1989, my supervising teacher, Guy, and a student I found to be challenging, Luis, taught me an invaluable lesson: A person’s true strengths often shine brightest outside of their usual environment.
Why It Matters:
- 🏫 What a teacher sees in a classroom is only part of a student’s story.
- 🔍 Observing people in different settings can reveal hidden leadership skills and talents.
- ❤️ This wider perspective helps us be more accepting and effective mentors.
The seed for this lesson was actually planted a few years earlier when I was an undergraduate student at The Evergreen State College. One of our professors had us watch children on a playground. He wanted us, as budding teachers, to see the joy children have when they are free to simply be in the moment and play, which is often a stark contrast to typical classroom observations.
In my student placement, I met Luis. Full of energy, Luis struggled to sit still for lessons; he was quick to interrupt and questioned everything. In short, my limited teaching toolbox was challenged by Luis.
Guy encouraged me not to judge Luis solely on his classroom behavior. He knew Luis’s greatest strengths, his leadership and athletic skill, were most on display outside. Guy urged me to keep an eye on him during our upcoming class overnight trip.
At the overnight, I watched Luis closely. The ease with which he played and interacted with his peers was completely different from the student I knew inside the classroom. That experience taught me the lesson I’ve carried with me ever since: there is a lot more to a student than what a teacher sees inside a school.
It’s a perspective I have shared with many of the teachers I’ve mentored in the years since, hopefully helping them better connect with the true nature of their students.
Andy Smallman 