I knew that if we were to improve this student-teacher relationship and get learning back on track, this student would need to feel fully heard by the teacher. And the teacher would need to feel heard by the student. A meeting seemed like a logical next step.

But I wanted to approach this very carefully. I wanted to think about ways to allow the student to feel heard without creating a slam session against the teacher. And I wanted to allow the teacher to feel heard by the student without them feeling collectively dumped on. So I worked with my principal to craft a professional first: a mediation agenda.

Welcome to SPARKS: mini-segments intended to spark your thinking and ignite your practice. These short episodes are based on my written reflections, which you can find on the Teachers on Fire Magazine at Medium.com.

Read the blog post featured in this episode at https://medium.com/teachers-on-fire/when-a-middle-school-student-goes-on-strike-mapping-next-steps-e13c327fe569.

My name is Tim Cavey, and I’m proud to contribute to the education conversation through the Teachers on Fire podcast. Make sure to connect with me @TeachersOnFire on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch more from me and hear from amazing educators who are bringing growth and transformation to K-12 education today.

CONNECT with ME

On Twitter @TeachersOnFire (https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire)

On Instagram @TeachersOnFire (https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/)

On Facebook @TeachersOnFire (https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/)

On YouTube @Teachers On Fire (https://www.youtube.com/c/teachersonfire)

On Voxer @TeachersOnFire (https://web.voxer.com/u/teachersonfire)

On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwcavey/

Visit the home of Teachers on Fire at https://teachersonfire.net/.

SONG TRACK CREDIT

Flight to Tunisia by Causmic

Tangled by Emmit Fenn

Anthem by The Grand Affair

Road Tripzzz by Ofshane

Fast and Run by Nico Staf

*All songs retrieved from the YouTube Audio Library at https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/.