Needs of All Students

I have long been a supporter of the work done by ILA ((international Literacy Association) and not only appreciate but have extensively used the research that it distributes to improve literacy instruction, starting early in life. ILA originally IRA (International Reading Association), has announced its ILA Intensive: Nevada in Las Vegas, NV, June 21-22, 2019. 
 
The announcement for this event included the following statement: "ILA's stance is that all educators, regardless of personal beliefs, have an ethical obligation to meet the needs of all students."
 
What do you think about that statement? Leecy

Comments

Leecy and all - I completely agree with the statement that we have an ethical obligation to meet our students' needs. The question then is: what are those needs and how can we meet them?

I have been teaching English to Spanish speaking adults for over 25 years. Usually the students who attend class are low-income, mostly mothers in their 30s and 40s who also work. Often these students do not have much education, but a good percentage have gone to college. 

Very often these students cannot attend classes at the local community college for a variety of reasons. The main reason, of course, is that they are very busy and often tired. In addition to which English is not easy to learn.

To help them learn English basics, I first developed a series of bilingual texts written with a phonetic guide. Years ago I also make CDs to accompany the texts.

The phonetic guide was important because English pronunciation causes a lot of problems and actually blocks learning. 

I now teach in two libraries and my classes are "open" - that is, there is no attendance requirement. I use WhatsApp groups to keep  in touch and to send "homework", such as online lessons and songs,  etc. People like "studying" like this, and I am sure that it helps a great deal in English aqusition.

So I would say YES meeting the needs of students is critical. We all need to learn how to be "student centered" a opposed to "teacher centered". 

Paul Rogers 

  Paul, thanks for your well-supported and thoughtful response.    I agree with you that we need to be totally student centered! Absolutely. I might argue, however, with the statement that we have an "ethical obligation to meet the needs of ALL students."   Teachers work under the constant stress of helping students meet goals, and when students don't, teachers often punish themselves. There are times when some students have needs that we simply cannot meet. Can we meet/accept a student's need to satisfy drug addictions while attending classes in many programs? Can we meet the needs of a student who states that he needs his GED in two months when he dropped out in second grade and faces special physical or mental challenges? We can refer; we can counsel; we can care; and we can help when we can.   In my longterm role in providing teacher training, mentoring, and support, I often find that effective teachers charge themselves with the task of focusing on students and of helping them meet their needs when students are willing and have the means to do so.    So many instructors rate their success by how well their students perform. "A student doesn't attend, so it must be my fault." "A student doesn't have time, so it must be my fault." On and on. That is why "A" students often receive more positive feedback and support than "C" students. "C" students make us feel responsible and guilty. "A" students help us feel successful.    What do you and others think? Might it be our ethical obligation to meet our own needs as caring, committed, and hard-working professionals who support students who are willing to help meet their own needs?   What if the statement in question were modified to say, "ethical obligation to help ADDRESS the needs of all students?" I can help address the needs of others, but I don't want to be responsible to meeting other people's needs, students or otherwise! Leecy

Thank you, Leecy, for reminding us of this. Yes we need to go beyond the classroom. To some it may appear to be too much to do. I agree. It could be overwhelming. 

So I decided to begin by simply finding online and other resources for the students to access. For example, I made a list that contains information on food banks, online drivers' test prep, test prep for certain jobs, legal clinics, etc. 

Now the social climate is more intense, so I invited someeone to talk about the legal impications across the board.

There is a lot to do...

Thanks again for adding this