Observing John: The Unlucky Recipient of the Most Testing in 2014
Today I want to share the bright light of one child. I have altered the story a bit in order to protect his identity, but the essence is the same and the nuggets of information are true. The name is generic on purpose; his real name is so beautiful and creative - I only wish I could share it here.
Meet John. John and I first met on a class walk around the block in which we were developing our skills of observation for a science experiment. I had watched John for several days in his class. He stayed quiet. He kept to himself. He didn't want to talk to me as I moved from table to table talking to the kids about their reading. I am very accustomed to this; the children I work with often do not trust. It takes time. Today, I was lucky enough to be his walking partner. Teachers who are reading this probably know how happy I was about this - as a literacy coach who moves in and out of classrooms - an opportunity - a moment - to be with one child - can be like winning the lottery. I now had a good half hour with John.
I started chatting with John about what we saw, what we noticed, as we walked. He didn't respond to any of this. However, quiet John - from the days in his
