Our students are entering the holiday season amid some great uncertainness in their lives, and the lives of their families and friends. The economic situation is ever changing, as both the sitting president and the president elect seek solutions to move our economy in a positive direction and maintain the safety and security of our country. We see, on a daily basis, the added stress on our students and families, some who have never known tough economic times. I am sharing some thoughts from the past, which may help you, who care about young people, create a framework for understanding what they may be seeing.
I am always challenging our teachers to touch both the minds and the hearts of our students. Learning is not an unemotional scientific event, as some may lead us to believe. The most effective teachers are passionate about their subject matter. They are always seeking to learn themselves and try a variety of instructional strategies, and designs to help their students grasp understanding. Most importantly, they seek to build meaningful relationships with their students. The first two characteristics are usually the easiest, for they speak to the mind. The last one speaks to the heart. While on any given day it might be difficult to achieve all three, the real challenge is to excite a student’s heart to care about learning. We have heard the old adage “put your heart into it,” so we know that people recognize the need for some form of internal eagerness and readiness to accomplish a goal. Is it not the same for learning? Even more intriguing, is a teacher’s challenge any different than a parent’s challenge?
These issues become even more perplexing as we enter the holiday season. The current economic instability, the ongoing fallout from the housing mortgage crisis, the stock market free fall, the ongoing war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the contentious presidential election campaign and subsequent media drama, have created another shroud over the hearts of many students. All of these issues have impacted families in ways we can’t begin to understand and this, in turn, impacts our students. These stresses are internal, they run deep, and always sit in the back of their minds. These are those issues that erode happiness and create a “heavy heart!” Add the rampant commercialism surrounding the holidays; it is surprising that all students aren’t distracted from their academic work. Troublesome is the fact that these distractions that should be of the happy kind, only serve to laden many of their hearts even more.
Like adults, many young people experience holiday depression, but the dynamics are a little different. They usually fall into two categories. The first is the more obvious. Some kids come from homes that have little to give either materially or emotionally. The sights and sounds of the holiday season are just another set of reminders about the hurt they experience daily. They feel disillusioned and betrayed, sometimes acting out their anger in inappropriate ways. Many of us find ways to help with the material shortcomings of these students through financial generosity, but the second part, trying to lighten their hearts is difficult and generally eludes us. It is even more complex when an economically stable family faces multiple job losses, home foreclosure, a depleted savings, and possible relocation, with the loss of friends and family. It is happening in our school community right now!
Even more perplexing are the students who come from homes where materialism is a fact of life. They will get about any thing they want, but the feeling of love and caring is missing. They speak in very matter-of-fact ways about “getting the holidays over” or “surviving” their time with family. They yearn for, but cannot feel the holiday spirit. Ironically, a few of these students plunge into their books and studies; the motivation being not to learn, but to “hide” from their own feelings, to hide from their own heart!
Many critics of schools forget that students do, in fact, bring these issues (as well as others) to the learning table and it can, at times, overwhelm even the best and most effective teacher. Conversely, some educators will make unrealistic demands, wanting to believe that, in spite of a heavy heart, students can and will fervently embrace learning. Add to this the discernible rise in tension fueled by the strong holiday emotions, both positive and negative, it is a wonder that more students don’t shut down completely. So what can we do?
I believe a good first step is for parents, teachers, and other adults to accept the reality of this happening! It is painful for many of us to really see this happening in our neighborhoods, our community, and our country, but we need to find within ourselves a sense of optimism and hope. Many times our willingness to simply understand the issues will help guide our own hearts into appropriate action for the majority of kids. Yes, students still need to be held accountable for their schoolwork, but our approach can help bring balance to their lives, especially if we can show them the relevance in the work they are doing for the future. Secondly, we need to make as many personal connections with young people as we possibly can. For teachers, it can be simply a warm smile and a “hello” to all the students we come in contact with. For parents, it could be a renewed commitment to make a positive, personal connection with their son or daughter during this holiday season. Thirdly, the sharing of our own concerns about the future, our view of the world, and having meaningful conversation about our optimism for their lives and our own, can be very reassuring for the majority of young people. Putting our own hearts into it can go a long way in touching theirs!
I hope this Branching Out finds you and your family in good health, and basking in the warmth of the coming holidays!
Office: 330-676-8710 Roger Sidoti
Home: 330-678-3381 Principal
E-Mail: ke_rsidoti@kentschools.net