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How can we as teachers preserve a child's emotional state, while teaching them to grow? All teacher's have to be stern what drives us to be compassionate?

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Students are constantly worried, complaining about their workload, or stressed about their relationships, but what can teachers do to help them with these challenges? Is it the teachers role to help the students grow? How can teacher's understand and help students through their growth and learning that comes through emotional intelligence?

Every teacher should know and acknowledge that stress is a threat to a student's emotional intelligence. With that knowledge they help their students learn and cope with it. When I'm stressed sometimes my entire body wants to shut down. I can't work on the assignments that are due because I have no hope of getting them done. Sometimes I just have to admit defeat and take the late grade, but sometimes my teachers are very compassionate toward my stress levels.

I think that is the most important thing a teacher should have when it comes to emotional intelligence, is the grace and love that we call compassion. There are many mental illnesses out in the word like Major Depressive Disorder, ADHD, and anxiety that the devils calls on us to hinder our growth. I think a classroom should be aware of these and try to help the students push through these struggles, because most children didn't ask for these disorders and were born with them.

Compassion isn't telling these children to man up and deal with their issues, but it is suffering with the children to help them grow. This isn't an easy theory to grasp, because sometimes students get angry for no reason. I want my classroom to be full of compassion, for I was once ridiculed in my youth for being different and the stress really ruined my childhood experience. As a teacher my job is to help the students with compassion instead of responding in anger to, if they need my time they can have it, because the students growing emotionally matters just as much!

This action of being compassionate isn't something a teacher can map out. You can't go " oh I'll be a great listener and make sure to do everything they ask because they are hurting." A compassionate teacher also has to say no sometimes. Sometimes what is best for the students emotional state is telling them the hard truths. Our emotions can control us sometimes, and my future classroom will be full of ups and downs, but my compassion and hope for their success will never falter thanks to the knowledge of this theory.

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Cliques, traditions and culture make up our society, but how can we keep others from being loyal to certain groups. 

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The social identity theory is a person's perception of how they're being perceived. Every one has this desire and quest for companionship. however, how do they know when to draw the line between friends and foe, clique and community. Is there a way to help children grow without having them change who they are?

This theory has three different stages: social categorization, identification, and Comparison. When I was little, I would have done anything to be a part of the "cool" girls in my very small class. These girls were consistently telling me how I should act and who I should be, and I believed them too. I honestly remember how hard that was for me as a kid, and it eventually led to an identity crisis and depression. I remember teachers were call me out for my uselessness and challenges, but I was eleven I didn't know any better. That is the reality of this theory is students will try to mold into the cliques by changing who they are entirely.

I think as a teacher it is important for us to remember and teach that there is a difference between what you value and what the group values. If you're forced into a moral dilemma because of the peer pressure of others, how would they stop and stay back when the group is leaping forward? I think it important for us as teachers to lay a strong foundation that breaks the cliques of the social system, while being open to hearing the students concerns.

It has been said that to break up cliques group projects work well, but my main concern is what if a student can't mentally work with another student. I think that idea in this theory is flawed. For example, when I was in band I had a partner that was also my ex-boyfriend. I tried be professional and helping him, but he only responded in aggression. I then went to my teacher, and he told me to try, because as a leader I have to problem solve. I feel like teachers should also be aware of conflict and avoid more due to this social identity. Sometimes, people are going to be put in socially awkward situations, but a teacher can only grow with them. As a teacher, I can't be biased to social groups either, because every student desires to be heard.

I don't think splitting my future classroom is the way to go, however I believe this technique of laying a strong foundation will help my class. I'm going to be teaching a band class of 50+ students. That is bound to have cliques and arguments. The most common one is blaming a section for sounding bad. I like to think a good foundation is constantly reminding everyone that band is an elective, where you chose to be here. We all may be different culturally, ethnically, and socially, but every one of them chose to be a part of this band, and every one of them will make it great. If we fall we all fall together, but when it comes down to it everyone is here putting in the effort and we're a team. I will always remember the best year I had in band, we were all socially different, but we all knew that we were " 1 band ,1 sound, 1 family." We may argue and struggle, but we'll do it together as individuals with our differences and all!

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Have you ever had a moral dilemma? What is right and wrong in a classroom, and how can we find a healthy balance between them?

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Children in schools can feel neglected, less popular and socially outcast from the word, but how can we keep them involved with the growth of their minds? How do we govern children's behavior to grow and understand each other without arguments?

The theory of mind is the ability to understand that other people have mental states, such as beliefs, desires, and intentions, that may be different from one's own. In other words, everyone has their own thought process, but the issue with this is their is this concept called mind blindness. Mind blindness is the concept of ones self not understanding the ideas of others. It's easy to say we're all different, but to actually believe and listen to those different beliefs is a different story.

Mind Blindness is a really hard concept to overcome, and I don't think anyone truly learns to understand everyone, let alone my high schoolers. The only way I know to truly aid with this issue is by asking the students questions. For example, if a students confide in me others are making their life's miserable by glaring at them and never including them, I would respond with the phrases " I know that must be hard for you, but do how do y'all know they don't like you? Have you asked them to be apart of their events?" I may agree with the students but I believe the only way to cure mind blindness is to help aid the students in hearing/pondering different perspectives.

Another way to help with Growth of mind is by encouraging a healthy balance between work and play in a classroom. The children should go outside and engage in the six levels of play to really develop and understand this world. Play can consist of anything including just onlooking others play games. Play such as recess not only allows for socialization, but also engages the mind and one's creativity helping our students from remaining stagnant. A great example of this is when a child steps on a flower and realizes it can't be made pretty again.

Children have to learn and grasp things on their own together, for a teacher can't always be there for them, which is why my classroom will have musical sectionals ran by the students. These might not go perfectly with some rebellious spirits in the classroom, but it encourages the students to get along and go outside and practice with each other. It will help them learn how to lead and cooperate. Children have to find a balance within each other and their own growth of the mind and this kind of "play" helps dissolve the blindness by encouraging teamwork.

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Children can't seem to handle rejection, and what happens if they end up spiraling because of it?

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This theory definitely sounds a lot like the the theory of social identity, but this has theory has more concept on the environmental aspect of our peers. It's not about peers perception of you, but how their perception affects their behavior and your role. Does their negative perception of you lead to rejection and bullying? Will the community ridicule you role in society. How can teachers stop this from happening, and have everyone be happy with their positions?

The mind can be affected by peer negativity and the sociometry such as bullying and rejection from a specific group and our intrapersonal relationships. Can bullying can be prevented in a classroom? When I was young I was forced into group therapy because I was considered a "bully" who was consistently causing problems. However, that didn't help me because it was numerous others bullying my sense of self. My mind was very distraught from the event being told I was the only problem.

How can teachers handle students coming forward about rejection. I don't think we're supposed to solve that problem, but help the child get professional help. Be a teacher that can acknowledge warning signs of a child with an unhealthy mind. In my classroom if a child expresses concern or changes their habits, I will walk up to them and ask them questions about their interests to monitor their behavior. Most teachers are inactive in their students lives and unaware of social groups. I hope I can help all students, rejected, average, or popular enjoy each other's company.

I believe this theory is helpful and can help the students, but it's also a hard theory for the teacher to grasp. I've never seen a school were bullying hasn't been a problem. I think the only way to help in this situation is to be constructively supportive. I've seen so many poor relationships in my lifetime, and the main thing I've noticed is people love to cut communication off between each other. I as a teacher want to make sure everyone can be civil with each other. They will see each other everyday in the band hall, and even if they don't like one another they need to respect each other. This takes what I call "opening the door", never shutting off communication, for it will only let the issue spread. A classroom community should include class discussion where all perspectives are heard and all communication is open, so everyone is heard.

This theory encourages putting someone in a specific role, but imagine a five year flute trying to take the tuba's role. The class won't work without cooperation, while woodwinds or percussion may be stereotyped, they aren't bullied for playing an instrument but are vital for the full sound. I think a great way to stop section bullying is by having them try it alone; showing them they all have to be one unit to make an ensemble. You can't reject a vital assets to the community even if you want to.

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Is there truly a balance between how are environment relates to us, or is it our genetics controlling our every move? Can teachers utilize both?

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We are all made up of our own genetic code. There is so much controversy around that idea; are we just like our parents or is it just mimicking their behavior? how do these ideas correlate; does one outshine the other?

Did you know that our very own genes interact with each other to promote any particular trait or behavior? This theory is a lot to unpack, because as a teacher we are unaware of the children's genetic code or if their like their parents. We can't really see the nature of our students. The only thing we can see and observe is their nurture in our classroom environment.

While we only see the nurture of our students, I feel it is important to think about the nature of the students. After all, we mimic our genes that interact with each other by interacting with our peers. A person genetic code will tell them to be an introvert or an extrovert. I think it's just food for thought. In my future classroom, though I can use their genetic identity (which I'll learn through observation) to decide who should play solos and harder parts. In band right now, we have two different female students in a section. One strives to be the best at everything, while the other prays for the easiest music. In my band I think that kind of identity is important.

I do believe this theory is flawed in the fact that it's hard to differentiate genes vs. environmental development. If a student states they are more like their father, how can we truly know if it is they are genetically like their father, or just because they spent so much time with them. I feel as though my future classroom will avoid labeling students like their parents, because I can't truly know if they are or not.

While we may not understand and know a child's genetics, it is important to acknowledge their families background. They might have a absent father figure and not know they have their fathers genes, or have been in foster care forcing them constantly to move around. As a teacher it's not my job to judge the students background but use it to help them grow. For example, my family was always a constant in my life and I loved them, but the fighting just encouraged my and behavior in school. My teacher never took this into account and consistently reprimanded me for my actions. I didn't have the best family background. My music classroom should be an escape from this. A place to stay and play without worries of family issues. I want to be aware of their background so I can help them remember that my class is fun.

I want my students to feel nurtured in my classroom through involvement. Everyone has a vital role to play in a music class. they all create harmonious sound together, and I want to create a nurturing environment where they strive to come back. They desire participation even if they don't want the challenging parts of music. because genes or not, they are wanted in my music program bad genes, good genes, I want all of them.

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Work Cited

Levine, Laura E., and Joyce Munsch. Child Development: An Active Learning Approach. 4th ed., SAGE Publications, 2021. Accessed 4 September 2024.