Part of dedicating my life to the education and service of teens is teaching them to be responsible. So far this week, both the football team I coach and the students I teach have shown me the incredible depth of their irresponsibility. Tough love is tough on all parties involved, and neither group is going to be happy with the consequences for their actions.
This can be very frustrating. But then God reminds me that I treat him the exact same way, and change my tune from frustration to patience. Sure there were 33 freshman failing at least 1 class as of 10:37 Wednesday morning. And there might only be 5 groups present their projects to the class today out of 27 total groups. Excuses will fly. Blame will be tossed to and fro. Grades will suffer. Students will learn responsibility.
It is easy to slack off and reward people for doing what is expected of them because doing what is expected is so rare these days. Have a higher standard than that. Don't reward just doing right, reward doing above and beyond right. And do not let less than right be okay.
And hope some day some of them figure it out.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Homework Tradition
Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid.
Nobody ever likes to do it, some people refuse to do it/don't have time for it, and even the people assigning it have to deal with extra work from it. I had my fare (pun intended) share of homework when I was in school. I didn't enjoy any of it, but I completed it because I had a situation at home that was conducive towards homework completion. Many of my students today do not. So I do not give homework if at all possible. I know there are circumstances (especially in math) when students need extra practice and must get a little work done outside of class in order to master content. But I believe homework should be the anomaly, not the norm.
As a teacher, I am trying to mold the minds of students to become better people. I am much more concerned with their well-being than their content mastery. I am not convinced this is completely right, but it is what I am most passionate about. Part of this teaching I think includes leaving school work at school and home things at home. My students need to understand their responsibility in their family is just as important as school. I want them to be able to leave work at work some day and come home and enjoy their spouse and children and leave the worries of work where they belong, at work.
I don't want to be the type of husband and father who is always working and having to bring his wife and kids to the office to enjoy time with them. So I am doing what I can now to make sure I set myself up for that sort of lifestyle. I want the same thing for the students I teach, so I will design my instruction accordingly.
The analogy from this 11 year old may be a little bit extreme, but I am thinking a little more like him than some teachers think is proper or plausible.
Nobody ever likes to do it, some people refuse to do it/don't have time for it, and even the people assigning it have to deal with extra work from it. I had my fare (pun intended) share of homework when I was in school. I didn't enjoy any of it, but I completed it because I had a situation at home that was conducive towards homework completion. Many of my students today do not. So I do not give homework if at all possible. I know there are circumstances (especially in math) when students need extra practice and must get a little work done outside of class in order to master content. But I believe homework should be the anomaly, not the norm.
As a teacher, I am trying to mold the minds of students to become better people. I am much more concerned with their well-being than their content mastery. I am not convinced this is completely right, but it is what I am most passionate about. Part of this teaching I think includes leaving school work at school and home things at home. My students need to understand their responsibility in their family is just as important as school. I want them to be able to leave work at work some day and come home and enjoy their spouse and children and leave the worries of work where they belong, at work.
I don't want to be the type of husband and father who is always working and having to bring his wife and kids to the office to enjoy time with them. So I am doing what I can now to make sure I set myself up for that sort of lifestyle. I want the same thing for the students I teach, so I will design my instruction accordingly.
The analogy from this 11 year old may be a little bit extreme, but I am thinking a little more like him than some teachers think is proper or plausible.
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