Sahara is a fascinating young lady. She seems so bright and intelligent but she does not seem to know how to share her gifts with others. Sahara has a lot of trouble with social skills and really struggles to make friends. I think many children struggle with the same types of issues. Sometimes children may be really intelligent academically but do not have any social skills. Sahara's lack of social skills seems to be holding her back from shining in the classroom.
I think many kids that struggle in the classroom are often very shy. If a child does not succeed in the classroom, they are going to be lacking in confidence. I believe some kids cover up this embarrassment by being funny and making jokes. So often the trouble makers are either the really intelligent children or the kids that are behind. The children that have trouble in the classroom don't want to sound stupid so they do not speak up. I have definitely witnessed this throughout my years of school. I went to a small public school and many of the children were not as lucky as I was. Both of my parents went to college and they knew how important it was to read to me as a child. Many kids at my school came into elementary school with no knowledge of books and reading. Even though they got an education at school, most of the kids did not have the parental support when they got home. I feel like those kids as well as the kids with learning disabilities did not willingly participate in classes. The teacher had to pull answers out of them and beg them to participate. I also think that those kids were shyer in social situations as well. If they were with a close group of friends, I think they were open and talkative but when placed in a situation where they had to talk to people outside of their little group, they were always more shy.
It seems to be the opposite for Sahara. I don't feel like her academics are hindering her social situation but rather her social issues are affecting her academics. She is scared to put herself out there for everyone to see. I think she just hides behind this wall and allows people to think she is stupid so she won't have to do anything. I am hoping that this new teacher will help Sahara show how intelligent she actually is.
I think teaching social skills to students is very important. It really has an impact on how students work with others and on everything that the student does. A teacher is not just there to teach academics. Social skills are so important and it is the teacher's job to help the students improve these skills. I almost feel that social skills are more important than academics in some circumstances. If a child is unable to communicate appropriately with others, it doesn't matter how much they know. I think a teacher can implement these skills into other academic lessons. I feel that group work is an important tool that should be used.