Reading chapter 10, I got a little down. Shoot, according to the author, I have been an entirely ineffective teacher for underachievers! Nothing I have done in the past - or even the school, for that matter - will work with the underachievers. Tutoring, rewards, punishments, study skills... these will not help the root cause. Can we, then, affect them at all? I think yes. I think of some of the underachievers I've had and even if their parents aren't involved, having a teacher (or more) who does make the effort for them will stand out even if we don't see the fruits in middle school. I'm ready to start organizing the solutions into ways I can use in the classroom.
I did like how his method is simple questioning, along the Love & Logic theme. Help the student identify where the "failure" occurred. Take away all the excuses. They will discover their own mistakes. And this may take awhile - lose the battles to win the war, as he says. This got me to thinking about our 8th grade lunch bunch, the "won'ts" who we are trying to motivate. Taking away their lunch period or giving them a place to do their work - according to this book, that's not going to motivate them. Ever. Perhaps we try a "motivational" group?
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I've been thinking the same thing; I accept the zeroes from kids WAY too easily. My goal this year is to make it harder for them to do that. (I have to start somewhere!)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely - like the book said somewhere, the work has to be finished. Hmm. Just doing that will be a tall order!
ReplyDeleteWhile the task is daunting, I still see the that teaching to the hope and possibility whether or not we see a change is a good attitude to have. Perhaps during lunch bunch we should be in the questioning mode either individually or even find some commonalities in a larger group...use the time to open their thinking to how they can change and accept their responsibilities versus about time to doing what they haven't done due to their various excuses that they believe. Maybe taking a harder look will inch someone.
ReplyDeleteI have lots of food for thought for some homeroom time with kids who have been identified as non performers, mixed in with high functioning students. Hopefully we can have some interesting discussions!
ReplyDeleteIn completing these final chapters, it really seems to reinforce, as most of you have mentioned, that we as educators need to remain consistent and firm, while at the same time realizing that there are no quick-fixes, but hopefully some kids inching toward taking responsibility for their actions and their future. If we could just get kids to gain this critical insight that Whitley describes, where they realize how their actions and excuses simply set themselves up for failure. Since we know that our students are often vague, I really like the idea of them actually charting their own sequence of activities that lead-up to homework, how much time they spend on the work, how many breaks or distractions, and how much time is spent on other activities-maybe pairing up with an NJHS tutor. If they themselves can identify the problems, they may be ripe to create a concrete plan for change. I also like the point that success can simply come from kids realizing that they just need to follow their plan.
ReplyDeleteI know, I wish it could be that easy, but I think this book gave us some good insights into the cycle of underachievement, and some concrete steps for action. No doubt, it takes hard work to break this cycle, but hopefully with our reading and our blogging, we've gained a few more tools for positive change. Thanks, everyone! See you soon.
Barbara, I agree with your thoughts, especially about helping kids to realize how their actions and excuses simply set themselves up for failure. Now that I have finished the Ten Steps, I am hopeful that we can make progress with some of our underachievers as so much of the Ten Steps is part of Love and Logic problem solving model. Some steps I already incorporate with students, but having time and helping students get to specifics and away from vague I think is the real challenge. Helping kids to be honest with themselves and take responsibility for their decisions is always a challenge. I hope we can work together as a staff to meet these students at ever turn in their day. Perhaps we can spend some time developing questions and practice questioning skills that we could use with our lunch friends? While our task to make a difference is daunting, I believe we can, especially if we help one another to get on a similar path. J
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