Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation by Kristin Van Marter Souers & Pete Hall

Author:Kristin Van Marter Souers & Pete Hall
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781416626886
Publisher: ASCD
Published: 2018-11-30T16:00:00+00:00

Building Empathy and Exploring Sarah's Scenario from Five Perspectives

Now let's explore Sarah's scenario from the perspective of five stakeholders: the student, the parent/caregiver, the teacher, support staff, and the leader.

Student: No question, Sarah is having a tough time. In fact, she is broadcasting her struggles by escalating her behavior and falling further behind academically. Sarah may lack the skill set to ask for what she needs, so she's making a desperate bid for attention the only way she knows how. High school is a tough time for girls, and feeling misunderstood or alone on that journey can be painful. What might be happening in Sarah's life that is leading her to struggle so much and be so willing to put her academic success at risk? She needs a positive relational connection yet has found only a negative means for getting her relational needs met. Is she seeking connection in that destructive way with adults, her peers, or both? How risky are those attempts?

Parent/caregiver: Ouch. What might be happening with these parents that the teacher sees them as unsupportive and unresponsive? They may not even be aware that they are viewed this way. Is there something going on in their lives that is so overwhelming that it is preventing them from even seeing Sarah's needs? Are they also in trouble? Are there supports they need to be more available for Sarah? Are there other children in the home? If so, how are they being affected by all this? How defeated might the parents feel to be getting only calls of concern? How many years has the school been contacting them with concerns about Sarah? Have they stonewalled school personnel because they can no longer tolerate the negative outreach? Do they believe that there is nothing more they can do—that Sarah is entering adulthood and needs to suffer the consequences of her actions? Or are they attempting to address Sarah's needs in their own way, believing it's their responsibility—and not the school's—to do so? What is the status of their relationship with Sarah?

Teacher: It's great that this teacher is concerned about Sarah and willing to seek advice on how best to help her. But how frustrated and exhausted she must feel, that despite all her efforts to help Sarah, nothing seems to be working. Is the teacher working harder than Sarah? Does Sarah want her support? Is the teacher making attempts to help that don't actually meet Sarah's needs? Is she the safest person for Sarah to express anger to? Is she someone Sarah can trust to handle it? How lonely and isolated this teacher must be feeling; I am worried about her confidence and sense of self. Working hard to help students without seeing progress can be so defeating. Believing that she lacks support from the family makes her mission to ensure Sarah's success even more urgent. This teacher craves a positive connection with Sarah and is attempting to find a way to achieve it.

Support staff and leader: Who else in

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