"In the realm of possibility, the literal or figurative giving of an A aligns teacher with student", this quote from Zander's book, "The Art of Possibility" define the goal of teaching for me. I love partnering with my students on the journey of discovery that chemistry offers. But all to often I find myself falling short of this goal and this is where another of the many great messages from this book, the message of giving yourself an A, should serve as a reminder of the real meaning behind the expression, giving an A. I often find myself telling my students, "you are more than the grade that you have in my class" and on the good days I find myself really believing this and this belief changes everything. The two students in the picture to the left are both below average students but on this day we were on a quest together to discover the answer to a chemistry question. We were partner, "in an effort to produce an outcome"(Zander, 2000). All to often teacher's find themselves so focused on the grades a student has that they forget to notice the student behind the grade. I know I have been guilty but this last semester a personal tragedy with one of my students reminded me of the importance of the relationship with the students. It was the beginning of a long weekend for the students but the teacher's were not off, we were required to be at school for training and a teacher workday. The training began that day with an announcement of a fatal car accident that involved several students from our school. One of my students was sitting next to a young boy who died in the accident. After the shock I drop everything to go visit with this student and make sure she knew that I was there for her. I was amazed that her first concern was that she would miss school and get behind in my class. The words that I spoke next changed everything for our relationship, I told her, "somethings are more important than school" and you are one of those things. She understood, she would always have an A with me no matter what her grade in my class. I really love when my relationships with my students progress to this point but for most students it takes almost the whole school year before we get to this point. The message of the first three chapter of Zander's book, "The Art of Possibility" is that this can be a paradigmatic shift toward a non-judgmental lifestyle.
Amen, Gary, relationships are more important than school... especially grades. I'm glad that you were able to share that with your students.
ReplyDeleteBTW, love the look of your blog site, very inviting.
You are right. It really does take time to cultivate those types of relationships with our students. I am now at the point where the students see that I care regardless of what their final grade is. I am at the point where I see them caring about their product because they care what I think. I am at the point in the year where they truly begin to appreciate all that we have done throughout the year to make learning an interactive, hands-on experience. These are the moments that propel me to keep on trying, keep on pushing to inspire them as well as myself, keep on forging and developing a relationship of mutual respect.
ReplyDeleteI have also been trying to apply the "Giving an A" philosophy with my students, but also with my husband and daughter. I have to learn to accept that if people are doing their best then I cannot ask more of them. I agree with your statement that the comprehension of the points from the book can truly be the opening to the change that occurs when we begin to take people as they are, allowing them to truly flourish in a comfortable, non-judgmental environment.