I thought Mr. Rueb's presentation was very insightful. It is one thing to read about student issues and how poverty effects students, but it is helpful to have an administrator actually come in and talk about those things in the "real world".
I think what surprised me the most was how he talked about home visits. I guess I have never thought about making home visits as a teacher. I do not remember if he specified if teachers should make home visits or not, but I know in Dr. O's class we discussed how that is something that should be done either by principals alone or by the teacher and the principal.
I have mixed feelings about such visits. I think it is easier to make those in a smaller community, where people are more likely to know each other. I don't think home visits would be practical in the big city. That, and I still don't know how necessary they actually are. I would almost feel like I was invading if I wasn't invited. At the end of the day, I just want to do what is best for my students, so if that involves visiting the home for some reason, then ok, but if not, I won't worry about it too much.
ED460 Personal and Social Well Being is a course taken by college students in education during their student teaching semester. Topics covered include: poverty, child abuse, bullying, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, counselors' role in school, adolescents and choices, and the use of technology.
Having someone come into the classroom with "real -world" experience about poverty makes everything seem more real. Reading a text book shows us figures, but hearing true experiences truly shows how much of an impact poverty plays in a child's life. Listening to some of his stories that he shared showed me that even if I don't think something will happen to me it still could and I have to be ready for anything.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about home visits being a foreign concept. Growing up the only time I was ever exposed to home visits was when one of my friends was very sick and some teachers went to her house and became her tutor so she would not fall behind. Other than that, I never knew home visits were done. I also agree with you about having mixed feelings about home visits. In some cases it might be the only way to talk to the parents, but at the same time you don't want things to get worse because of the visit. I think you said it just right, taking care of the students will be my biggest concern, so if a home visit is necessary then a home visit I will do.
I definitely agree with you that the home visits can be a daunting idea for a teacher especially a woman teacher. You never know what to expect when you enter the home and it saddens me to know that its probably never going to be a happy place. The most important focus needs to be the wellbeing of the child and if that means going to visit the home for me I am going to have to be willing to make a personal sacrifice of my comfort to make sure the student is taken care of even though this is such a difficult thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI also have an iffy feeling about home visits. However, I remember that our teacher for Teaching Reading in Your Content Area said that she had to make a home visit. While it is not easy and should not be done frequently there are certain situations where I think it is necessary. In her situation, she went to speak to the student. The student had had a rough life at home taking care of her mother and twin brothers while also going to school. She had just found out that she was pregnant and so was going to move to the alternative school to finish and then drop out. The teacher had a good relationship with the student and so felt that it was necessary to make a home visit with her in order to plead with her to stay in school. The teacher had seen the girls potential and knew that if she was going to get out of the situation she was in, or at least make it better, she needed to finish school. As a result of her home visit the girl still went to the alternative school but the teacher used her plan period (which was conveniently lumped with her lunch period) to go to the Alternative school and work with and talk to this girl. So, while I don't know if I'll ever make a home visit, I do believe there is a time and place (and that you should always bring someone from the school along).
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