Humans of NTN: Brette Woessner, NTN School Development Coach
“When a student is stuck, unmotivated or disengaged and is coming to tell you something that feels personal in nature (even in ‘kid’ language), you absolutely have to pause, think and listen. You need to act as if your student is baring something incredibly important. Because they are. We can’t ask students to share with us, then push their sharing off to the side and then ask them to keep sharing.
Typically, I think we get one opportunity to get a kid to share. If a student is willing to share with you why they are not able to learn, it is such valuable information. It is worth a pause in your lecturing, copying, or end of day shuffling. It won’t come in a formal way. It will be casual, a whisper, a comment as they are walking out the door. We should be on the lookout as adults when kids are sharing with us.”