One of my former students posted a gritty video on Instagram of him working out. In the video, he commented about how, if you want to see results, you have to be willing to do the work. Sure, Z used some colorful words to get his point across, but it got me to thinking… if we know that hard work = results, then why is working hard EVER considered optional when it comes time to learn?
Today’s PD served as a reminder that teachers are always charged with thinking about instruction and best practices. We try our best to help students see purpose and meaning in what we are doing and learning in class. But even if a teacher does it all – has the instruction, has the best practices, has the activities planned in such a way as to maximize student learning, there is one factor that they have no control over, and that is, the student.
In a world inundated with educational buzz-words, student engagement is perhaps, arguably THE most important. Student engagement helps students when it comes time for them to learn and create. Without student engagement, students often times do not see the point or the connection of what they are learning to their own lives or to their future.
I guess that’s where TRUST comes into play. You have to trust that I am doing what is best for you. You have to trust that there is a bigger picture. Granted, I do my best to show you the game plan beforehand, but when the coach asks you to run the play, you have to trust he knows what he is doing, and that what he is doing is in your best interest, and in the best interest of the team’s future success. Please, students, trust me.
Vince Lombardi once said that, “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
As a teacher, I want nothing more than for my students to find success, both inside and outside the classroom. As your teacher, I will do my very best to make the learning relevant, rigorous, and reflective. And as a student in my classroom, I am asking you to be responsible for working hard and being engaged.
Imagine, then, the success we can accomplish together.
