If I asked you to define ‘teacher’ what would be your answer? The definition on the internet is, “Teaching involves inspiring, guiding, and supporting students to learn and grow, both academically and personally.” No where does it say, “They will guarantee your children will learn a specific subject.” Unrealistic expectations placed on teachers can set students up for an unhealthy view of them. When we share the belief that teachers are super humans capable of making learning easy for everyone, we are feeding the unhealthy mindsets that may lead them to think others have control over whether they succeed or fail. The teacher is not the one who makes a student happy or sad. It is the student who believes their feelings are because of someone else. Blaming doesn’t empower them. When we shift our thinking and support our children in their journey with empowering strategies that promote independent learning, we guarantee their success. The first place to start is with a clear definition of the student’s role in whether they learn or don’t learn.
No one told my father he had to have a degree to build a block wall. He went to the library, checked out a book, read it carefully, and built a block wall. It’s still standing 70 years later.
I was fortunate to have a wise colleague my first year of teaching share her insightful perspective on this topic.
Adele Cooke pulled me aside after finding out I was to individualize instruction for 36 fifth grade students in the morning and 36 6th graders in the afternoon.
She shared, “No matter which crazy teaching practices teachers are forced to do, 100% of the success of your students is dependent solely them. We’ve heard the saying, ‘You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.’ The same is true for students. Students will learn in spite of you and they won’t learn in spite of you. It’s totally up to them. One thing is certain, they will forget 90% of what you teach them and 100% of how you make them feel.” I have added to this when I share with new teachers,” They will remember 100% of what they wonder about. The questions they ask will cement their understanding and improve recall in the future.”
Her insights were so profound. I realized the methods i had learned put me in the drivers’ seat and they were along for the ride. I needed to put them in the driver’s seat and learn the rules of the road to becoming a successful independent learner.
The first place to start was to share the rules of the road for those responsible for their own success. If it was up to them, I needed to inform them of the fact. No one had ever told me I had that power, so I threw all the strategies I learned in methods classes that were based on me being the driver and threw them out the window. I began my first day with the following heads up to my students (We discussed each one in depth):
1. You are the driver on the road to your own success. If you learn in this class, it’s up to you. If you don’t learn, it is up to you. Your success is up to you. Your parents will give me the credit, but I will make it clear it is you who had earned it.
2. I cannot read minds, so I don’t know if I am making sense to you or not.
3. I don’t know what you don’t know, and I don’t want to teach you what you already know, because that would be boring, so I will rely on your questions to guide me.
4. I don’t want you using your parents, tutors, or peers to help with the work I assign, because I need to know what you don’t know.
4. Starting today, you are going to need to look at your work and learn how to ask questions, so I can guide you to discover the answers independently. You don’t need a teacher to learn.
5. Don’t blame me if you don’t understand. Keep asking questions, and I will keep trying to find ways to help you understand the material.
This was in the days before parents became involved in homework. Homework was limited to 30 minutes for 5th grade and 40 minutes for 6th grade.
In the 1980’s parents began to fear their children would fail without their help and students became less attentive. Seriously, would you ask a question in class when you were confused if your parent would teach you the subject at home that night, and, in some cases, do the work for you?
Because I was instructed to individualize instruction for all my students in 1972, I found it effective to have the students look at their work they would be doing in class the next day the night before. They formed questions, submitted them to me first thing in the morning, and I grouped according to their questions. It cut down the number of same questions I had to answer. This method was effective when assigning homework in the 1980’s. The students learned how to solve challenges independently and the parents didn’t need to help at home.
Set the stage for a great year by clearly defining your role, the parent’s role, and the student’s role. When parents have strategies to support what you are doing in the class, your students will grow by leaps and bounds, and you will get credit for it.
Check out my books at www.homeworkdoc.com that guide teachers and parents toward developing independent learners.
I am available to support with parent, teacher, and student seminars.
It’s also helpful to educate students in the neuroscience of technology use. It helps students understand the reasons the devices have control over them. A little bit of information empowers students manage their devices wisely.
*I love doing this seminar for students.
