Students and Learning

I spent my first three years as a teacher in Title One schools, and I am currently teaching in the suburbs of Boone County. My suburban students come to school rested and fed (usually). They come to school with social skills that allow them to interact differently in an academic setting. My urban students came to school (not always, but often) hungry and tired. They were often responsible for earning income or caring for siblings outside of school. Do these factors diminish their capacity to learn. Absolutely not! Do these factors affect the way that I teach. Absolutely! My students at my current school differ from my previous students in socioeconomic status, but each each and every student that I have taught has the capacity to learn. Their capacity to learn is endless, however, through time students (and teachers) become discouraged and sidetracked by outside factors that affect students' learning.
The teacher's primary responsibility is to equip students to learn. We must adapt to the individual interests and skills of our students. In my experience, I have also had to adapt to the culture and social practices of my students. For example, my current students are often quiet when given group work. My previous students were expressive and chatty during group work. In each case, I have to carefully observe whether learning is taking place. My role is to take my students from where they are and push to take themselves to where they need to be. While I adjust my activities to meet the needs of my students, it is not necessary to water down material or lower my expectations.
Aside from socioeconomic status, special needs also become a factor that I consider in planning my instruction. At one point, I had 25% of a class with special needs-ADD, dyslexia, EBD, etc. I expected these students to meet the same objectives as my other students, but I was aware that I needed to adjust my activities to suit their needs. I found that my other students also benefited from summaries, repetition, modified writing/reading activities, and individual attention. Again, each of these students has the capacity to learn, but as an educator I have to make sure that I am presenting material and allowing them to process material in a way that allows them to feel capable and successful in meeting objectives.