Reading their way

Is it just me, or do teachers have a default answer of “no?”  If you asked me, I would tell you that I’m respectful of my students, and that I’m open to a lot of different things in my classroom.  Really, that’s what I would say.

I’ve been catching myself, though, saying “no” without actually thinking things through.  Actually, it’s not a matter of me literally saying “no,” but rather that type of attitude. 

This is tough to spell out, so before I meander further let me give an example.  A student is on a 24″ stool reading. Well, his chest is on the stool, his legs are hanging down, his arms are hanging down, and his book is dangling just above the floor. I guess that counts as being on a stool.  I was about to tell him to take a seat and get comfortable (after all, I want my students to be comfortable so they’ll read), when I caught myself, actually looked at him, and realized that he was comfortable.  Um, I couldn’t be comfortable like that, but he was. Why did it bother me?

I can’t be sure, but I think it’s safe to say that if the bonehead teacher (me) put an end to that student’s reverie, more than just his posture would have been over.

Oddly enough, 8-9 year olds can sit (or whatever) differently than a 44 year old man.  Who’da thunk it?