Blog Topic #5: Portrait of Possibility

It has been difficult for me to choose just one student to identify as a student for whom VTS might be beneficial.  In my first blog entry I mentioned a student that would fit this bill ( and I still feel that way about him), but since then I have another new student in the class who has been difficult for all of the teachers in one way or another and I wonder if VTS can help him as well--in a different way.  So I'm going to use both of these students for my "Portraits of Possibility".

Student #1 is a boy who struggles academically and maybe a little socially too.  He is quiet and seems  to lack confidence in the classroom.  In previous VTS discussions he has rarely had anything to say and I think this is because he is afraid his comment might not be "right".  So I am hoping that I can draw him out of his shell a little so that he will contribute to the discussion and then when he does, reinforce his thinking by acknowledging his comment with the same degree of acknowledgement I give to everyone.  In time I am hopeful that he will look forward to VTS as a way to let his ideas be heard and validated.  By welcoming all comments, yet staying neutral, I think I can show him that whatever he brings to the discussion is important.  If this can happen with VTS then, according to Housen's and Yenawein's studies, it could transfer to his classroom work as well.

Student #2 has different issues that I also think might be helped by VTS.  As I said, he is new to our school and not only that, he apparently has been to seven schools--and he is only in 3rd grade!  (That should have been our first clue!)  In these first weeks of school he has given his teacher trouble by picking on other students, (sort of verbal bullying), and not being a good classroom citizen.  Yet, some students are drawn to him and are modeling some of this bad behavior.  He can also be a "know-it-all" and often acts bored by classroom activities. I think some of this behavior is a coping mechanism for him as he tries to fit in at yet another new school.  I think he wants to impress his classmates and these behaviors have become the easiest way to do that.  I think he may be more insecure than he lets on.  Anyway, I don't have him completely figured out yet, but I think he could benefit from VTS by participating in the discussions and contributing in a positive way.  I think my acknowledgement of his comments as important might give him the attention he is seeking.  By listening to his peers and taking cues from them I'm hoping that he will see that VTS is a way to get to know his classmates and they, in turn, can get to know him.  Of course, there is always the possibility of some silly comment from "left field", but in time he will see that those comments don't make him rise in stature among his classmates. I think he will see the value that I place in everyone's comments equally. I think he will also see that the other students are really trying to figure out "what's going on in the picture".

I'm anxious to see if either of these strategies work with these two students.  I'll keep you posted!