C4T #1

For my C4T #1 I had Josh Stumpenhorst who is a 6th grade Language Arts and Social Science teacher at Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville, IL.

Mr. Stumpenhorst Post:

Tonight when I got home from work my sons asked me if we could head down to our neighborhood park and ride bikes. Knowing it was one of the last free afternoons before school got started for them and me, I naturally said yes and we headed out. Now this particular park is a playground with a baseball field surrounded by a paved path. However, on one side the path take a sharp curve on an access road and it slightly downhill and gravel. As my boys were flying down the path and heading toward this particular spot I saw my older son take the turn too quickly and take a spill. My younger son watched this and slowed down and stopped before hitting this curve. My older son got up, showed me his scratches and continued on riding. The next time around he slowed down and took the curve in control and navigated the gravel with no troubles. However, my younger son apparently did not learn from the hard earned lesson of his older brother and instead took the turn fast and went down hard as well. He looked at me with tears in his eyes expecting me to somehow fix what had happened. I simply looked him (after I realized he was not seriously injured J ) and asked him what he learned. He told me the “gravel is slippery” and proceeded to take the turn with caution for the remainder of the time we were at the park. I was intrigued by this experience from a parenting and teaching perspective. After seeing his older brother fall, my younger son still decided to take the turn quickly and fall. For some reason he felt he could pull off what his brother had not. As a parent, my inclination was the yell out and tell him to slow down but then would he have learned that hard-earned lesson? Do we over protect our kids to the point they have no life experience beyond a parent’s warnings to dictate their actions? I often think we walk a fine line and really need to be mindful of safety but also of allowing natural consequence to serve as teaching tools. In schools we talk a lot about protecting kids from adverse consequences and making sure they don’t fail. I just can’t help but think that if we let kids fall in the gravel more they just might learn more than if we simply tell them the gravel is slippery. Obviously, gravel can be a metaphor for failing a test, being cut from a sports team or being dumped by a girl/boyfriend. As the new school year draws closer I plan on looking for more opportunity to stand near and allow kids to fall down and help them make sense of it rather than making sure they never fall. Disclaimer – I don’t plan on allowing students to play with weapons grade plutonium, electric fences, or rabid raccoons in an effort to learn from failure/pain but simply those small failures we often try to protect kids from in school.

My 1st Comment:

Great Post! I am a student at the University of South Alabama majoring in Education and this is a great idea to have for when I become a teacher. We have to let the students learn the hard way sometimes or they will never learn!! Very interesting post I really enjoyed it!


Mr. Stumpenhorst post:

I Used to Think...
I used to think bad teachers needed to be fired. Now I realize bad teaching largely exists because of a lack of exposure to good teaching. I used to think homework was the way to reinforce learning. Now I realize it a tool used to coerce compliance and reinforce the notion of haves and have-nots in the home. I used to think punishing a student would change their behavior. Now I realize most kids need to be taught how to behave and punishments reinforce a cycle of misbehavior. I used to think we did not need administrators. Now I realize how valuable an effective administrative team can be and the impact it can have on teaching and learning. I used to think parents were something to be feared and I only had to contact them when things were going badly in school. Now I realize the vital role parents play in creating strong partnerships between home and school and how impactful their involvement can be. I used to think the more work I piled on a kid the more they would learn. Now I realize the more valuable the work I ask kids to do the more they will learn. I used to think that modeling for students was always the best way to teach. Now I realize modeling can lead to copying and can rob students of true learning experiences. I used to think Captain Crunch was a good breakfast food. Now I realize how horrible that is and defer to more healthy choices…like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I used to think I could be a superhero and was responsible for saving the kids in my classroom. Now I realize I can’t do it alone and my responsibility reaches far beyond the walls of my classroom. I used to think having technology in my room made me a better teacher. Now I realize technology will not transform my teaching without me first shifting my teaching. I used to think kids were motivated by grades and that could increase engagement. Now I realize grades are often less a reflection of academic abilities but rather an indication of prowess at playing the game of school. I used to think the kids that always raised their hands were the smartest ones in the room. Now I realize the ones who rarely speak have the most to say and are often the ones worth listening to. I used to think I was a good teacher. Now I realize that good is not good enough and I must to keep working to be better

My 2nd Comment:

Interesting post! I think this is a really interesting post for me as I am majoring in Elementary Education. It gives me a lot to think about and what I need to do. It also reminds me to never stop and always improve myself!! Thank you!

Overall, Mr. Stumpenhorst has a wonderful blog to read. He has many great post to read for future and present teachers!! I had a great time reading them and I will continue to read them!