It
is that time of year! Winter is still rearing
its ugly head, the students and staff of Bettendorf High School are coming to
the end of a grading period, the stress levels are high, and in my perception
everyone just wants spring to arrive.
Although most try to keep their spirits high, this is just a tough time
of the year. Students are trying hard to reach their perspective goals and
teachers are spending grueling hours assisting along the way. Frustration from both parties is almost
inevitable. Spring break is a couple
weeks away and I am sure I am not the only person in need of some time away.
After
reading Ben Gilpin’s (@benjamingilpin) blog post titled, “Monkeys can teach good kids,” and Jimmy Casas’s (@casas_jimmy) blog post titled, “Every Rose has Thorns…& Petals,” I began to think about the struggling learner and how
this is the time of year that they need our help the most. I cannot claim I was able to reach all
students, but I can claim that it was, and continues to be my purpose, to
connect with all students regardless of ability. One thing I did early on in my career was
remove the 7:30-3:30 mentality and I live and breathe the “Students First,” philosophy. I cannot say I was able to
connect with every student along the way, but I can assure you all of my
students will agree that I surely tried.
Below are some of the strategies that assisted me in connecting with struggling
students.
Build a relationship
Get
to know all of your students…especially those that struggle. Show them you care and are willing to invest
in them. When students know that you
care and are willing to assist them in reaching their goals, they may go the
extra mile.
Assure them they
can
Many
students do not commit to things because in their minds it is a waste of time. Remind the student that it may be a struggle,
but in the end there is a benefit; they will earn credit and may learn something
new along the way. Assure them you are
there to assist them and make them feel as if they are a priority to you.
Provide
opportunities
The
last thing you want a struggling learner to say is that they did not have the
opportunity to connect, succeed, or complete tasks. If the student cannot come in before school,
offer after school. If they cannot come
after, offer before. If they cannot do either, offer your lunch. Try to create as many opportunities as
possible. For example, a fellow colleague,
Brent Hutton (@huttonbhs), would even offer Sunday evening study sessions to
create opportunities for students to succeed.
Don’t make it
about punishment
If
any student thinks you are out to get them, they will not respond to your offer
for assistance. One of the biggest
things I learned as a classroom teacher was not to sweat the small things and
to choose my battles wisely. I would
always find ways to make it look as if I was trying to assist them rather than
punish. I would have conversations with
phrases like, “Can you help me with…” and “Let’s work together on this,” to
make them feel as if we were a team working together to change behavior.
Celebrate
anything and everything
I
think this is an area almost everyone needs to spend more time. We jump at the opportunity to call a parent
when a student does something wrong, but we rarely find time for the opposite. Celebrate with the struggling learner
whenever and over whatever you can.
Celebrate a turned in assignment, the arrival to class on time, a
response without prompt, anything you can at every opportunity. When you spend more time focusing on the
positive, this behavior may show up more often.
Don’t take it
personal
We
work with teenagers…they will mess up.
Realize these students have struggles outside of school that we cannot
even fathom. They will continue to “forget”
and leave you with empty promises. Just
continue to offer opportunities for success.
I
cannot say these strategies will change your world, but I can say they did
assist me along the way. I encourage you to add to this
list, I encourage you to continue on, and I applaud all of you for what you
continue to do for today’s youth.
~
Thanks and continue to be great!!
