Maintaining High Expectations in the Midst of Feeling Beat Down
There used to be a time when teachers set the bar for the expectations in the classroom.
Well, having worked with teachers from different states, different grade levels, varying years of experience and demographics, what seems to be the trend among them all is a feeling of defeat and having been beaten down. I regularly hear teachers say things like, “I can’t assign homework because the students aren’t going to do it”, or “I can’t start my instruction on time because my students are late every day.” Worse yet, the most common mantra that rears its ugly head during professional development sessions, coaching opportunities, and common planning meetings is “My babies can’t”.
Which leads me to the question, who’s really in charge in the classroom?
When we adopt this thinking, what we fail to realize is we are inadvertently usurping our own authority and instead passing that authority over to our students, allowing them to dictate how our classrooms are run. What are we nuts?
I realize this might not be perceived favorably, especially in today’s culture, and let me be clear that I do recognize there are special circumstances to consider when students have things that prevent them from doing their homework or prevent them from getting to class on time. but, at the same time, there should be an expectation set by the teacher for a standard for learning that dictates what happens in that classroom.
Might the problem be that because the teacher has lowered the bar for students’ behavior the students continue, ultimately, forcing the teacher to lower that bar even further?
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Let’s use the example of one of my recent coaching sessions with a group of high school ELA teachers, planning for their 90-minute instructional period. They want to spend 20 minutes at the onset of class for sustained silent reading and say they need that time for taking attendance and sorting through the everyday muck and dribble from the previous class. After a series of questions and conversations, however, their real reason for waiting 20 minutes came to light: “Our kids come late every day and we don’t want them to miss critical information from the lesson.” This leads me to my question… if students know that you’re not going to be starting instruction until 20 minutes into the period, (and heaven knows they’re smart enough to figure that out quickly), then what’s to make them come to class earlier?
Maybe the issue is more about student engagement…
If we make our classrooms spaces with high engagement, with lessons that are thought-provoking, (dare I say fun and high-paced), combined with an expectation from the teacher that “I’m excited to see you today”, then maybe the students would be more apt to be on time rather than late, and in exchange, we start our instruction on time, instructional time is maximized, and we’ve had more time for learning. Winning!
Now, think about that same concept with the mindset regarding homework. We don’t NOT assign homework to our students because the kids won’t do it. Instead, the expectation is to do it. If you don’t do the work, you don’t reap the benefits. It’s really that simple. They’ll find that same natural rule in the adult world: if you don’t come to work, you don’t get a paycheck.
We must think about the students who will and are doing the work. We do a disservice to all of our kiddos when we lower our expectations.
Can we agree that practice makes perfect? Well, if we lower the bar for our students because they have tested the water and see how they’ve beaten us down and given up on the cause, well, quite frankly, the cycle of moving the bar lower and lower over the course of time will continue. We need to avoid playing limbo with our kids and instead be mindful of the power of our role.
We are the leaders who set the standard, who set the expectations, who get the kids to rise to the expectations rather than accepting less of them. Even those “babies” who we say “can’t”. No doubt, students struggle, but to say “they can’t” is truly an injustice to the student. How dare we? If that was your child in the classroom and that teacher, during a parent-teacher conference, said to you, “Well, your child can’t so, therefore, I won’t”. How would we respond to that? I know my response would be, well of course they can’t, that’s why they’re here. You’re the teacher, it’s your job to get them to do.
We are failing our students when we are lowering the bar and saying they can’t. Kids will do what they are permitted to do.
If they’re permitted to slack, they’ll slack.
If they’re permitted to be late, they’ll be late.
If they know they’re not going to be held accountable for homework, they’re not going to do their homework.
We must keep in mind that they are looking to us for guidance as their role models, mentors, and leaders. They WANT to live up to our expectations. Will they test the waters? Of course! I once saw a sign that said teaching is like being pecked to death by a thousand chickens. I hear you… you laugh, because there feels like some bit of truth to that statement, but our students are looking for consistency, for us to set the bar high enough for them to at least try to reach it. Now that doesn’t mean they are all going to reach it, but WE DO NOT lower it.
Instead, let’s give them lots of opportunities to get their head above the water. We understand when they do come to class late because of extenuating, familial circumstances, or reasons beyond their control. We understand and present alternatives to those students who may not have the space or environment at home that is conducive to doing their homework. We provide alternatives, we get creative, and we solicit help from administrators, parents, the community, and fellow colleagues. We think outside of the box and search for workarounds.
We do not give up on them!
Consistency and maintaining high expectations is hard work. It does feel defeating much of the time. but these are life skills we are teaching at the same time as teaching lessons in grammar and rhetoric What we will not do is stop fighting the good fight. Our students need us today more than ever, We owe it to them. We expect nothing less than their best effort by giving them ours.