Even before learning of the shooting in Sandy Hook, CT I was considering writing about the struggle to keep a positive attitude in the classroom. This time of year is difficult because every one's thoughts are focused on friends and fun and celebration. We teachers pull out all our best tricks to capture the attention of our students enough to feel we've done something productive. I had a whole host of thoughts about overcoming frustration and maintaining a caring, supportive, fun and informative disposition, but all those thoughts are suddenly gone.
Now I'm thinking about what I teach my students. Many students in my general biology class (and even some in my Physics class!) don't even try to do the work before them. Their attitude is I'd rather look lazy rather than stupid. A safe learning environment is not just a place free from violence, but a safe mental place where their thoughts are not ridiculed. I have been most frustrated this week by my students' performance in my AP Biology class. They work hard (at least when they know a test is before them), but we are just not communicating and I've tried so many different ways to get them to let me in - to allow me to help them struggle through this difficult class. They are much more interested in each other.....after all they are seniors finding their way through the last phase of dependency.
My hope is that I am teaching all of my students that they are important and that we (the adult community) don't always understand their lives, but the differences are really quite minor. I want my students to know the value of hard work - to feel exhilaration when successfully tackling a problem. Even if it's just because they've witnessed me overcoming my issues. They should leave my classroom knowing that even though I am frustrated with them, I will spend hours over the weekend working on a new way to reach them. I want them to know they are never alone no matter how hard asking for help seems.
