Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom:CHAPTER 5

I was sitting in one of my other classes and the teacher asked us a question, can't remember the question, but I know that the answer was hope. She said our students need hope in order to accomplish the tasks that we as teachers set before them.
I feel like that is what this chapter has provided me, and I hope, again to be able to provided that hope to my students.

I especially liked how Tomlinson pointed out that we can teach a subject to the students, but we may or may not reach or teach the student. Kind of like that saying "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink"...same thing with students you can give them the information, doesn't mean they will make connections with it and remember the information.
I have had teachers in the past that just teach students material, they cram and "cover" all that's required and then expect us to regurgitate it out on the test or paper. A lot of good that did for me......I still can't remember my history facts correctly...

Tomlinson wrote, "it seems to most of us that there should be so much more to learning than checking off a standard or making note that facts have been dispensed" (58). I really like this quote because I think it addresses that sometimes teachers may teach to the test and need to check off in the minds that they covered the material, and may think "hey it's not my fault that the student didn't pick it up, something must be wrong with them".

The message that I felt through out the whole chapter is that we need to teach our curriculum and instruction in a way that students can make connections, they can realize that what they are learning is for their good, and the main thing, that we care about them and want to do everything we can to help them learn the skills, not just useless material, but SKILLS to succeed.