Reporter’s notebook: kids, cancer, schools
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- April
- 24
Gary Armida, whose wife was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after they were married, spoke a little about his response to student writing when the subject matter is something as sensitive as a reaction to cancer in a family member or friend. Armida teaches English at North Rockland High School. He says that he’ll sometimes write a little note on an essay letting a student know that he understands.
“I do think kids look for a sounding board. They’re going to need your support and supervision at the same time. It’s tough. It’s tough.
“You sit there and you appreciate that they have enough courage or trust in you to share it. I do find that 90 precent of the kids are very willing to share, especially on paper.
“It’s hard to read a lot of them, it’s hard to throw a grade on them. I still struggle with that. I think other teachers struggle with that. How do I grade this? These are part of the problem, but it’s not even a problem related to writing. It’s all on the cuff. You fly by the seat of your feet. Every kid is different.”
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on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 8:56 pm by Randi Weiner.
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