Entering a classroom is no less than putting your hand in a box of colored marbles. You never know what color you will get. Students come in all the colors of a rainbow; this is what makes teaching exciting.
Would it not be boring if we taught the same sort of student repeatedly? Part of what makes the teaching experience fun is being able to spend time with each and every one of them.
Allow me to take you on an adventurous trip where I will introduce you to all the colors of the rainbow that I have encountered in my classroom.
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The perfectionist.
Rarely will this student accept any sort of flaw in their classwork let alone any sort of tests.
Their main aim throughout the day is to achieve 101 out of a 100-mark test.
If the activity mentions building a simple clay model, they will go out off their way to build a sculpture that lives and breathes.
Their written work would put Shakespeare to shame. And messy handwriting? Perish the thought.
In my experience the most important thing is to make sure they understand it is OK to be a child sometimes. This level of perfection usually has something hidden behind it. We mostly tend to leave them to their task, assuming they will accomplish them, nevertheless. But this should not be the case, pay attention to them.
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The little teachers.
If there is anyone who would judge what you’re teaching in the classroom, it will be them. Any mistakes made, be it concept wise or pronunciation wise, they will catch it within minutes if not seconds.
Sometimes they’ll know far more than you would. The true accomplishment is when you manage to surprise them and keep them interested within the lesson.
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The all-rounders.
A class always has a student or two who manage to constantly awe their classmates by accomplishing everything effortlessly.
They seem to be talented in sports, studies and in even making friends. Teaching them seems an effortless task. But keeping them engaged? That is wherein lies the complication.
Children who are used to finishing everything within a span of minutes, expect to be bored or are liable to making errors. Our task lies in teaching them to take their time, to be patient and provide them tasks that challenge them.
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The mischief makers.
Every classroom has its own assortment of mischief makers. They are the reason you’ll forever keep one eye open. These are the one that keep us on our toes. Their names are the ones that you will learn first.
As soon as there is an activity or a trip, we will automatically make a mental scan determining their position as well as current levels of boredom. Once their level of boredom increases you can see their position will no longer be the same.
The main task is to keep them engaged, they have an active mind, so a simple worksheet never works. Give them something to build or take apart. Let them think and come up with something new.
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The sensitive ones.
For me it was the hardest to deal with the sensitive children first, mostly because I could not understand why a broken pencil would move a
child to tears? We must understand that they are young. What seems silly to us, has a greater meaning for them.
For us it might be a pencil, but for a child it holds greater implication, perhaps this was the third new pencil given to her this week, or her mother might scold her if she lost it and so on.
Our task here is to teach them the importance of being calm, its better to let them get it out of their system rather than shouting at them or becoming irritated. They listen better when we explain it to them. Students are sharper than we think.
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The relaxed ones.
Quite a few of the students come under this category. For them getting through the day is all that matters. For them classroom drama is not a priority. The greatest of joys for them is the sound of the bell indicating a break or home time.
Getting them to clean up before either bell is always a task, mostly because they become bundles of energy. It is a well-known fact that they will definitely leave something behind in their excitement. I spend most of the time getting around this by wrapping up a few minutes before them.
Each of these children bring something entirely different to the classroom. Managing them does take time but its always well worth the effort.
