Of all the experiences I have had working as a teacher, educator, and counsellor, the most inspiring has been my work as a teacher in Kazakhstan. When I arrived at the school, two teachers had left the classroom due to illnesses and the student body was recovering from tragic loss an entire family due to two separate plane crashes. This instability seriously affected the students, and my initial assessment saw a self-condemning and frustrated group of 8-year-olds who had all but given up on themselves. In addition to instability in the classroom, the students had been through a recent tragedy of losing an entire family to two separate plane crashes. Between that tragedy and the lack of stability in the classroom, the students were suffering. Their internalization of their external circumstances and emotional response created a collective fixed-mindset, making for displays of high levels of negativity towards themselves and their peers. This fixed mindset and negativity often revealed itself through the words students used to describe their intelligence and abilities, often saying that they were “stupid”, and that they “couldn’t do” new challenges.
After my initial assessment, I taught the children about their own self-worth, and used their new beliefs about themselves as the foundation for all future teachings that would support the students’ self-development, which ultimately led to more self-directed academic growth, and a classroom that collectively supported the learning, success, and individuality of each student!
After my initial assessment, I taught the children about their own self-worth, and used their new beliefs about themselves as the foundation for all future teachings that would support the students’ self-development, which ultimately led to more self-directed academic growth, and a classroom that collectively supported the learning, success, and individuality of each student!