similar experience

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similar experience
By bam

The good thing is that you are aware of your preconcieved notions and trying to be cautious about them. You cannot avoid those "well meaning" teachers from unloading on you, so you're right to be cautious and wait to draw
your own conclusions. Often one teacher's experience with a student is radically different from anothers -because of personality, approach, or the magic growing up some students do over the summer...
My first year in my current school, I was warned about a particular student "J". J had apparently been violent, hosiptalized for a attempt, and an absolute horror in the previous

grade. Teachers warned me (or more like scared me) about J. Of course, I was a little nervous about having him as a student and was cautious around him. Soon, I found him to be abolutely wonderful, respectful and senstive. He wasn't the student I had been warned against. He has been put on medication over the summer and was adjusting really nicely. He also got to "start fresh" with me since he thought I didn't know about his past.

Was I better off having his background? Maybe, maybe not. I was a little more tender in my handling of him than I probably would've been otherwise, but I was aware of trying not to take those teachers' opinions of him and treat him like a convict from the 1st day.

Now, I'll listen to teachers opinions of students, but I honestly try to form my own opinions. Rarely have I ever found my "take" on a student to be the same as anyone else's.