Meeting Ms. G

On our November 7th visit, we had the pleasure of meeting Ms. G, a 19-year veteran and ELA teacher at District C. Ms. G is an alumni of both District C and RI College. While at RIC, she was a member of both the Upward Bound Program and the Preparatory Enrollment Program (PEP). Ms. G spent 9 years as a behavioral specialist and a year at Perry Middle School in Providence, before subbing for District C. She told our class that she knew right away that District C was where she wanted to teach, explaining that Providence was too big of a district and that District C felt "cozy and comfortable." 

Ms. G had many words of advice for our group. She explained to us that one of the most important things you can do as an educator is to make connections with your students:

"Make everything personal; you're dealing with individuals."

"Individualize your instruction as much as you can."

"Don't be afraid to connect with your students on a personal level: ask questions, do your research, know the student population you are working with."

Ms. G also let our group know that it takes years of experience to develop effective classroom and behavioral management and that understanding and controlling student behavior is the most difficult task for new teachers. She explained to us that it took her 7 years to take her class out of rows and that it was only with experience that she realized that her own attitude towards behavioral management needed to change before she could effectively manage her students.

"If I wanted to effect change, 

I had to be the change that I wanted to see."

"Don't be afraid to discipline [your students] in a loving way."

Before our meeting came to an end, Ms. G left us with a few last words of advice. She told us that to be effective teachers and mentors to our students, we must:

"Know our content."

and

"Be open to change."