I think it goes without saying that helping students realize their maximum potential is job number one for any teacher. So, when a student is satisfied with less than their best, how do you convince them to push forward? Last week, a student in my class took a summative assessment over the standards covered in our Classical Empires unit. We are a standards-based grading school, so when their scoresheet and feedback went back to students, we began focusing on how we would work together to build greater understanding in areas where growth was necessary. One student looked at their feedback sheet and told me, "I'm good. I got mostly threes." When asked about the areas where the student earned twos, the student just shrugged and continued to say they were fine with the scores they had gotten.
Now, for those of you who do not know me (which is most of the people reading this blog), one thing you need to know is that I never accept it when a student does not want to achieve the highest of standards. I can always find a way to reel them back to me and work toward success. But, the student was right. They had achieved mostly threes, with the exception of two areas. I was in need of the ploy of all ploys to get this student on board.
Now, for those of you who do not know me (which is most of the people reading this blog), one thing you need to know is that I never accept it when a student does not want to achieve the highest of standards. I can always find a way to reel them back to me and work toward success. But, the student was right. They had achieved mostly threes, with the exception of two areas. I was in need of the ploy of all ploys to get this student on board.
Each year since I have worked at my current school, we have taken our students on a field trip to Chicago. We travel four and a half hours to Chicago from Flint, MI, spend the day at various well known locations in Chicago (Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Old Town School of Music, The Chicago Symphony Center, Giordano's Pizza, and other locations have made the cut on a rotating basis), and drive four and a half hours back. It makes for a long, but exciting, day. Every year, I always warn my students that I may lose one of them if they do not follow the expectations I give them, and I will likely just say, "oh well," and make my way home without them. Now, this seems cruel, but I have a perfect record of not losing a student in the city of Chicago.
I tell you this story because the student I was trying to help realize their potential was on that trip with us last year. So, the next day while students were working on research and a script for a Roman Empire green screen newscast we will be producing, I grabbed the student and began having a conversation with them. I started by asking, again, if they would like to build a study guide for the two areas they did not achieve a three in. Once again, "I'm good." Okay, story time. It went something like this:
Lisek: "So, what you are saying is that you are happy with not hitting the mark in those two areas?"
Student: "Yes. I mean, if you average them, I have a pretty good score when you think about it. If we used grades from last year, that would be like a 90%. That's an A-."
Lisek: "Okay, I get your point. And, I'm guessing you're okay with A- work?"
Student: "Yep."
Lisek: "Huh. Well I guess if you are okay with that, I am okay with that. (short pause) Hey, do you remember last year when we went to Chicago?"
Student: "Yeah! That was so much fun!"
Lisek: "It sure was. Do you remember what I told you all when we got off the bus at Old Town School of Music?"
Student: (thinking...) "Do you mean about losing one of us?"
Lisek: "Yes. That. What was my expectation for that day?"
Student: "Not to lose one of us. You wouldn't really leave one of us there, would you?"
Lisek: "No. Of course not. I mean, the goal is that I return with 100% of my students. I would work very hard to achieve that, even though I told you I was going to leave one of you there. But, what if I had lost one of you? I mean, there were 65 or so students. If I lose one and return with the other 98%, that's good enough, right?"
Student: "NO! That would be terrible. My parents would be mad if you lost me and didn't find me."
Lisek: "But, you just told me 90% was good enough. I would have had a 98%. That's an A! I think that's good enough, right?"
Student: "When can we meet to go over what I was missing?"
Success! Sometimes it is a spur of the moment thought that comes out of nowhere that leads to the greatest success. I am always trying to find ways to motivate my students to be at the top of their game. This story will be at the front of my Rolodex of Teaching for future use.
Wait, does the Rolodex still exist?
Wait, does the Rolodex still exist?