Over the past year, educational standards have fallen like a rodeo cowboy.
It’s not your fault.
The pandemic has taken a toll on everything in its wake.
But now that students are returning to school, how do we lift the bar back into place? How do we reverse course and refocus students on school?
It’s a critical question that will determine just how far they’ll fall behind.
Some believe that we should ease them along—avoid pushing too hard too fast and build momentum over time. It’s understandable. After all, they’ve been through so much.
Here at SCM, however, we believe it’s best to get them right back up on the horse.
Last week we covered the importance of teaching your routines and classroom management plan in great detail. This alone will go a long way toward reversing the malaise and inaction the pandemic has wrought on so many students.
It will wake them from their slumber and reignite their desire for discipline that lies deep within each of them.
A push for excellence in anything, regardless of what it is, fires the motivational engines. It generates thoughts of the future, which is extraordinarily healthy to both body and mind.
A second key to getting students jump-started is to fill them with purpose. It’s to remind them every day why they’re in school and how it’s the avenue through which opens opportunity.
Purpose is the driver for every worthy pursuit in our lives. Without it, there is nothing but empty entertainment and momentary pleasure. Purpose leads to fulfillment and self-worth, even amidst life’s many struggles.
It leads to hard work and the pursuit of goals that take years, even decades, to accomplish.
Purpose can also be delivered on a micro level. All of your assignments should answer three why (or how) questions, which you provide as part of your lesson.
Why are we learning this?
Why is it valuable?
How is it beneficial to me?
Having purpose, even on a small scale, is highly motivational. Without the why it’s hard for students to see the point. It can be the difference between a successful lesson and one that lulls them to sleep.
Finally, you must bring a sense of urgency to your classroom. You can have a calm style, but your passion for their success must come through. It’s a passion, however, that is deeper than just a love of teaching.
It’s a passion to change lives.
It’s a passion to help students overcome obstacles to become productive, contributing citizens. It’s a passion that hopes in the unseen and believes in what has yet to show promise.
The power of right here right now is a healing, meditative balm that relegates fears, frustrations, and failures to the blurry background.
It provides fuel and flow for the work that needs to be done.
Together—excellence, purpose, urgency—will not only get your students back up on the horse, but galloping into their future.
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Perfect timing, as usual. I just gave our first in-person math test this year and . . . well. . . the results were grim. GRIM. Thanks to SCM, I didn’t wring my hands too much. Rather than retreat to the fetal position, I decided that we would take advantage of this bizarre school year and start over. Yep, we’re going to learn it again. In a different way. Because I can’t just give up and send them on their way not knowing how to divide/multiply decimals and fractions. We’ll restart our unit with a heart to heart, with a “This is important to your life, please join me in changing your mathematical future because it matters, darnit” talk. So, this weekend, I’m on the hunt for engaging, differentiated (so hard to do distanced and in masks . . sigh) methods to re-teach these math concepts. Thanks to this site (and your books), I’ve got a healthy stash of positive teaching pedagogy and insights to rely on for the next three weeks. With a 90% failure rate hanging over my head, I’m going to need them.
Love this! Exactly how I feel about empowering students to be excellent in a pandemic or any regular year!
Same here! I especially love the part below and what he said about believing in our students. I’m seeing the positive results of these attitudes and strategies in my difficult class, right before my eyes, and others are noticing, too!
“Purpose is the driver for every worthy pursuit in our lives. Without it, there is nothing but empty entertainment and momentary pleasure. Purpose leads to fulfillment and self-worth, even amidst life’s many struggles.”
It seems to me this is one of the most underused motivational strategies. We talk about working for good grades and how they open doors to the future, but rarely about what a privilege it is, historically, to even have this opportunity to learn and read and influence things, and how most people up till recent times didn’t have this.
I want to keep emphasizing these purposes and privileged instead of complaining about “kids these days,” because when the children truly understand this, they build on the previous foundations, and we see results that surpass our own!
Michael,
Do you happen to have any specific book recommendations on addressing the “Why? Why? and How?” in a rural, impoverished, high drug dependence community where student’s aspirations include collecting welfare, becoming a babysitter, and working as a cashier at Walmart?
There are a lot of poverty-related educational books out there which have helped me understand the mindset of this sub-group better, but I still don’t feel like I have a handle on how or what to do to encourage/ motivate students to aspire for more. I also think that part of the problem is that we are asking kids to do more and more at younger ages and for teachers to accomplish more and more in a year, and that leaves no time for fun, learning activities that draw students into a love of learning.
Sorry for the ending diatribe. I really would like a book recommendation.
Hello Jill,
As a fellow educator I completely understand the importance of finding things that inspire and engage your students as well as spurring their own curiosity and learning.
A few books I’d recommend: “Never work harder than your students”, “No Excuses University”, and the AVID strategies. Each of these has specific advice on how to turn the work into meaningful learning with specific measurable success. Keep building on what works!
Thank you so much for responding, Amy. I will look them up in a bit when I am finished lesson planning for the week. I hope you have a GREAT Teacher Appreciation Week!!!
Perfect!
As Jenn said above, perfect timing!
I had a bit of a drive this morning, and I was reflecting on motivation and learning goals.
I have SO much to do, but this reinforced my processing.
Thanks for all you do!
They are so glad to be back, even with masks and shields and lunch in the room. They are glad, and I am glad.
I had them a week and half, for half days, and then we start testing…ugh! Testing what.
But at least we are back.
Yes, Purpose and the degree of success expected are very important issues during the beginning of school.