It's hard not to get in the holiday spirit; the presents, lights, family, food and of course the break from school. Or is it hard to get in the holiday spirit? Today I saw that first hand.
I had a student in a grumpy mood. Everyone is smiling and cheerful that today is the last day of school because of Christmas break. My student wasn't. After giving him some time to be with himself and get some sort of control with his emotions, I was able to talk to him to see what's up. He told me, "everyone is in a good mood, but some of us have family problems." I find out that today is the second anniversary of his brother committing suicide. Whoa! How do I handle this?
This student isn't stable to begin with, but all he wanted to do was talk. I didn't have the best information for him, but I was able to listen. Sometimes that's all our students want. They need someone to trust. Someone they can talk to. Someone they can confide in. After our little chat, he wished me a Merry Christmas.
Teaching isn't always about the x's and o's. It's about building relationships. In my opinion, that's the most important aspect of school. Learning will occur, both easily and naturally, when that relationship is made.
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