Dyslexia. Attention Deficit Disorder. Self-esteem issues. English as a second language.
Whatever it is, it can be a debilitating distraction to students and make learning incredibly difficult. While these aren’t always easy topics to talk about, they are issues North East ISD teachers want to be better at handling. That’s why students became teachers during staff development at Nimitz Middle School on Monday, Feb. 17.
Eighth-graders Stephanic Kimpinde and Wilonja Wenja represented English-learning students. Their native language is Swahili, so they taught a class in Swahili, helping their teachers understand how it can sometimes be hard to understand what is going on in class.
“I was happy to see all the teachers trying,” said Kimpinde. “Asking us for help. It was really encouraging for me.”
Seventh-grader Otto Gonzales says he’s dealt with bullies. So his idea was to have the teachers in his class put stickers on googles, representing different types of self-esteem issues students can face.
“The goal was to show them how difficult it is to learn in their classrooms with everything quite literally blocking our vision,” said Gonzalez.
Eighth-grade Science teacher Lisa Brooks said the lesson was eye-opening.
“I know that’s ironic, but it was an excellent way for us to visualize, to experience, what our kids are experiencing.”
And Jayden Mares is a seventh-grader who struggles with dyslexia. He had teachers read a passage out loud. It was jumbled, and letters weren’t in the right spots.
“I was telling the teachers… what helps me read better when I get like a book or piece of paper when I read it, like strategies.”
“It was quite moving,” said eighth-grade science teacher Alexandra Fleming. “I don’t have dyslexia. I'm not learning English as a second language…and so to have that experience to switch shoes, to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes was jolting, and it kinda reinvigorates us and makes us want to come back and love those kids harder.”
All of these lessons were created to give the teachers a chance to see things from a student’s perspective. The hands-on training helped them come up with new ways to reach their students. All of the students said they felt empowered by the opportunity to share their stories and teach their teachers.
“There is nothing that is going to hold me back because I have all these teachers that care about me, “said Kimpinde.
“I felt a sense of pride, knowing I helped these teachers understand what some of us go through every day,” added Gonzales.
To take a look at some of the students' teaching in action, visit the Nimitz Facebook page.
