Note to Self:
Using the term "good student" would have been sketchy. After all, some of the best thinkers are members of the Legion of Piss Poor Scholars Who Nevertheless Think Well About Life. Yet, when you used it today, it was in an effort to defend a child. While your motives were good, you know deep within that there are not "good kids" and "bad kids." Just kids. Kids who have rough days and positive days and sad days and depressed days. You know that your students are capable of dark things and amazing things - every one of them. But when you use the term "good kid," it makes the assumption that there are bad kids out there. It cheapens the notion of redemption.
Sincerely:
John
The adjective and article "basically a" usually precedes "good kid."
ReplyDeleteTrue. But in this case, it was simply "He's a good kid. I can't believe he would do that." Even "can't believe" wasn't accurate. It was more like "don't want to believe."
ReplyDeleteHate to ride your coattails, but sometimes I just need to:
ReplyDeletehttp://blog0rama.edublogs.org/2010/05/11/month-of-may-mothers-good-and-bad/