Enduring a meal with an obnoxious co-worker, relative, or acquaintance is painful...but it’s just one meal. Imagine an adolescent version of this person striding into your class. Now, you’re confronted with the daily drudgery of interacting with a very biased kid who's quick to profess his bizarre theories. Most importantly, his captive audience...the remainder of your students, will be subjected to his monologues too.
But your new student isn’t your crazy uncle. You simply MUST engage him. That’s your job. This obligation may seem distasteful, but flip your paradigm and embrace this as an amazing learning opportunity. This difficult student will be your teacher. He’ll expose your biases, your triggers, your limited perspectives. He’ll engage your empathy, your objectivity, and your fair-mindedness.
Enduring a meal with an obnoxious co-worker, relative, or acquaintance is painful...but it’s just one meal. Imagine an adolescent version of this person striding into your class. Now, you’re confronted with the daily drudgery of interacting with a very biased kid who's quick to profess his bizarre theories. Most importantly, his captive audience...the remainder of your students, will be subjected to his monologues too.
But your new student isn’t your crazy uncle. You simply MUST engage him. That’s your job. This obligation may seem distasteful, but flip your paradigm and embrace this as an amazing learning opportunity. This difficult student will be your teacher. He’ll expose your biases, your triggers, your limited perspectives. He’ll engage your empathy, your objectivity, and your fair-mindedness.
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