Personal Reflection

March 30 2021
What an exhausting day! I’m really trying to think about what I could have done better to
prevent this situation from occurring. I feel like I was VERY fair – I gave them a warning, I
didn’t call them out in front of the entire class, and the expectations around cell phones are very
clear. I hate how that situation happened.

After talking with another grade 8 teacher, I think I handled it the best way I could. I did not
escalate the situation; I did not get into a standoff with the student. After they refused to leave, I
backed off. I’m trying not to take it personally because I know that this is a really tough year for
this group. They’re cooped up inside all of the time, they can’t do the extracurriculars that they
enjoy, they aren’t able to move around from class to class, and they’re stuck with the same group
of peers every day. It’s not easy for them.

I spoke with one of my administrators after school, and they provided me with insight on how
their talk went with the student. The three of us will meet tomorrow morning before class starts
to have a brief conversation about what happened. My admin suggested I consider tonight what I
want to say/how to go about saying it.

I want to get across to them that I was not angry with them, rather disappointed with how that
situation went about. I want to encourage them by saying that I know they’re a good student and
a leader in the classroom. I think I would also like to tell them that everyone has bad days
sometimes – and that’s okay – and if he had a bad day again in the future, to let me know, and
we can work through it.

I hope this conversation goes well. I’m going to talk to my TA and admin tomorrow prior to the
conversation and talk to them more. I just want my time left at SJF to be positive for myself and
for my students.