Teachable Moments: Small Successes and Warm Fuzzies

In these strange times (which I, for one, am sick of hearing about in every commercial on the radio during this pandemic), it can be hard to find things to celebrate. Warm fuzzies and small successes can go a long way right now, so I’d like to share a small one of mine, where a teachable moment had a happy ending.

Sometimes I think the thing I love most about teaching is when I get to help show a student a better way to interact with the world. My school has an Advisor-Advisee system rather than homerooms. Teachers are assigned students who they look out for from grade 9 (or their arrival on campus for high school) until that student graduates from grade 12. The Advisor is the student’s advocate and the parent’s contact for anything that might be going well or, perhaps, not so well.

One of my Advisees has been having a little social trouble, and they came to me about it. I was really glad that they felt comfortable opening up to me about what was going on in their world. I was able to have a nice straight talk with them about the situation, but I didn’t think at the time that this conversation had gone particularly well. This particular student has a history of having a bit of a temper, and I encouraged them to attempt to hold in their reactions, which another student was trying to bait. The next day, we saw success! The other student tried (and failed!!) to bait a reaction out of my Advisee, but they did not react!! I was so glad because I did not feel like I got through to them at the time of the conversation. It felt wonderful to know that I was helping make a difference in this student’s comportment, and that they actually listened to my advice. Now, a couple of weeks later, the student seems to be managing their temper better, and this has led to their peers backing off and realizing that maybe they can’t bait my advisee into reacting as they used to.

What are some teachable moments you’ve been able to take advantage of recently? What small successes have you celebrated? Tell me in the comments; I’d love to celebrate them with you!