21st Century Skills
 
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Cassidy and Ms. Bable
Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  My daughter, Cassidy, who is in kindergarten came home from school yesterday with a paper she had colored.  The title was " What I'm thankful for:"  She pulled this paper out of her backpack and notebook and smiled as she said, "Look at this, Daddy."  Her smile and eyes clearly told me this was very important.  I took a look and was a little surprised.  The list said:  Turkey, Mom, Family, and Ms. Bable.  I was sure "Daddy" would be on the list, as she has been daddy's little girl for the last few months.  She explained it was in the word family. Ok, I thought.  We talked for a few minutes and she moved on to "Can I play with Robin?"
 
What I wanted to comment on here are the two words: Ms. Bable.  My wife (kindergarten teacher) and I are both teachers and Cassidy reminded us of a very important lesson.  RELATIONSHIPS is the key to any effective classroom.  Ms. Bable has helped my daughter to love school, want to learn and wake up excited that she has school.  My little daughter is Thankful for Ms. Bable.  That says it all. 

In education, we teach students content every day.  We worry about test scores, district's report cards, levy's, how to reach each child and much more.  We push students to "recall" more and more information. But Ms. Bable and Cassidy remind us all that building strong relationships with students is what encourages young minds to grow and desire knowledge. 

I would like to take this time to publicly thank four people who encouraged me and help lead me down the path of becoming an educator.  These are not the only people who have impacted me, but they deserve to be noted: Mr. Bruce Derrick (7th Grade S.S.), Mr. David Church (9th grade art), Dr. James Rowley (U of Dayton SS Methods) and Mr. Edward Bernetich (a master at building relationships and former Principal).  These people have encouraged me, made me feel valued, and supported me as life moved forward.  I also am Thankful for these great Teachers, just like Cassidy is about Ms. Bable.   Happy Thanksgiving to all.

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Comments

hanna
11/25/2010 06:39

I love this. I have had a few teachers like this. I think I have learned far more those years than others. This IS important

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megan
12/01/2010 14:29

This is touching and so true. So often we forget how much kindness, encouragement, and a general sense of caring can influence how we feel and how we see life everyday. Teachers like Ms. Babble really make a difference and much can be said for her connection with kids.

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Stephanie Sviderskas
12/02/2010 11:37

This was such a joy to read! I am currently a senior at the University of Akron and will be student teaching this January and I can not wait to get into the classroom and encourage children to learn and build realtionships!

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Dilini
12/02/2010 18:24

This is so true.... we, as educators get caught up with teaching 'content' and with all the other 'must dos' in school, that we forget something very simple and valuable such as creating a 'love' for learning. If at the end of the day we can instill that love in every student, then we have done our job.

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12/03/2010 05:36

I was recently reminded of this as well, during a project I am participating in at Barberton High School. There are about 25 of us University students acting as tutors in one classroom, and it has been the coolest experience working one on one with so many different kids. It inspires me and reminds me why I want to be a teacher in the first place :)

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Bethany
12/05/2010 14:05

This is so cute:) I feel the same way. A while a go I wrote a paper titled "Relationships are the Building Blocks of Society." In my paper I discussed how important families are. And this extend even to teachers. Not all students are fortunate enough to come from a loving family. So it is crucial for educators to care about the student as a person and not just the student's academics.

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Elizabeth Sadzewicz
06/23/2011 14:31

I absolutely loved this blog. You are so right and it is great to be reminded exactly why it is that we wanted to become teachers. To have the capability to make such an impact in a child's life is so truly special. I had one teacher in fourth grade that made me feel this way as well. He is my inspiration. I can tell after having you as my professor now for the past week that this is the type of teacher you are as well. You truly care about your students, its as if they are your family. I can tell this just by the way you talk about them. Thank you for being you. We can use more teachers like this in the world!

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07/05/2011 09:21

I really enjoyed reading this blog. One quote i definitely agree with is, " RELATIONSHIPS is the key to any effective classroom. "
Knowing your students and having a positive relationship is not just a key to your success as a teacher, but to the student's success as well. It is important to be a positive influence so that students enjoy school and do not dread it. I hope to be a lot like your daughter's teacher, Ms.Bable. I want to make an impact on my students lives just like her.

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Adam Nelson
10/04/2011 09:45

I think we all have a small handful of teachers who had a valuable impact on our lives and can remember their names as well as their grade and subject they taught us at the drop of a hat. It's very nice that your daughter has found one of those teachers so early on in her educational experience. Hopefully it will help her to be engaged in the next 12+ years!

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