O.K. so this isn't actually going to be the whole year in review. I have a few moments, though to share some things I've been meaning to get up here.
#1 - The value of mentors - The Friday before break, Troy Cohrs, a high school teacher brought one of his classes out to work with our students. Each high schooler was paired with one or two Elmquoias and together they wrote a page of our "Magma-zine." Afterwards, we asked the students to share their thoughts about the experience: "They were really interested in us...I was surprised." "They were amazed by what we could do." "I liked the way they listened to everyone's ideas." "I was nervous at first but then my partner was really nice." "We worked really well together - they didn't just do everything." I was surprised by many of these comments. For me, they highlighted the value of involving lots of people in our students’ lives. They know that Simon and I like working with them. They know that you value their ideas. Having other people, people they didn't even know, treat them with intellectual respect was a very powerful experience. This is why we think the mentoring aspect of the honors project is so important and why we hope you look for opportunities to involve many varied people in your child's life. The more their view of themselves as learners and thinkers is confirmed, the stronger it will be when it is put under the inevitable stress of adolescence.
#2 - Good Job - The other day Hal closed the refrigerator and I reflexively said, "Good job!" He stopped what he was doing and began clapping mechanically. I raised an eyebrow and tried an experiment a few minutes later, unrelated to anything Hal was doing I said, "Good job!" Again, the clapping. It was a good reminder of how automatic (and meaningless) these words can become. There was nothing spectacular about his door closing and yet I had praised it and his response to the praise had been Pavlovian.
At Prairie Creek we strive to eliminate meaningless praise. It's hard. "Good job!" is so much a part of our culture but it's so important to help the students determine for themselves when their work is their best and when they still have opportunities. We help them most when we encourage, prod gently, and say "now what?" with a smile. Why bother? Because in a few short years many of them will be dealing with a barrage of external evaluation. Some of it has value and much of it doesn't. I can't tell you how many times a seventh grader has shared that they got an "A" in this course or that course. I always ask, "Did you learn a lot? Was it your best work? Was it challenging?" Far too often the response is, "No, actually, it was really easy." Personally, I don't want students to be satisfied with that "A." It is not an end in itself. Sadly, I'm not sure the teachers of these students even know what they are capable of. That "A" represents "Good enough, you did what I asked." I so wish it represented, "Wow! You exceeded your own expectations. You pushed really hard and you've challenged yourself."
Grades, SATs, performance reviews are all a part of life. But I think the most successful among us are those who can put those measures in perspective. They don't put much stock in a hollow "Good Job" but are able to evaluate for themselves what they've done and what they can do.
#3 - Habits of Mind/Habits at Home - Which brings us to our homework and the framework we use for self-evaluation. Our homework system is new this year and Simon and I have been reflecting upon it a lot. At the core of our reflection is the question "What is our goal?" Through reflection I've come to realize that my goal for homework is to shore up the students' sense of wonder and help solidify their visions of themselves as learners. They will have many years in which to practice "time management" and "responsibility" in the traditional, sit down at the kitchen table and just do it, kind of homework. But their time to explore and think and create connections for themselves could be about to end if we are not careful. Helping them to value the learning they do when they cook or play or research something they've read about in the newspaper will, I hope, help them find time to continue this kind of work in the future. I was struck this fall when my husband was talking about the difficulty some of his students (college first years) were having with some writing assignments. "If they were just interested in things, and read more, this would be so much easier for them." Perhaps they didn't cover that in the even number problems on page 135.
Here, Here on the "good job" mentality that pervades this culture. I too find myself saying this mindless phrase usually because I am too lazy to think of something else. I know this because of the blank look I receive from the child lamely praised. This has been a huge issue for me coming from a culture that traditionally cuts down high achievement-"tall poppy syndrome" as it is called in Australia. My youth was full of understatement and people bending over backwards to not give positive affirmations. For me, constant praise is very uncomfortable. When I moved to this country, I had a hard time summoning up enough positive responses. It seems I have now trained myself to do so, having survived years of child rearing during the Barney Era, but alas it still seems empty. Genuine responses are always best and encouragement can come just as much from a look or actions rather than automatic words we think are the right thing to say.
Society doesn't always dictate the best rules to live by.
Posted by: Jan Rohwer | December 26, 2007 at 02:24 PM