The author lists things kids say about school. From the list, choose 3 that are most concerning to you and describe changes teachers/school could make to address these statements. What is one out-of-the-box idea you have or will implement with your own students?
1) I can't ask questions. We don't have time. As a teacher I always encourage questions if a student doesn't understand something. If they can't ask questions on things they don't get, then why are we teaching them these things if they are going to understand when we're done.
ReplyDelete2) I have to much homework and if I don't do it I will be in trouble. Most of the time I give students time in class to work on there assignment. If you are giving hours of homework every night, that is a problem. Kids need to have a live outside of school that doesn't involve school.
3) If it doesn't get graded, why am I doing it. I pretty much grade everything the students do. I look at it this way, if you want a student to take the time to do an assignment then you should be willing to take the time to correct and grade it.
"I am not allowed to talk unless the teacher says I can." This can be a frustrating situation for teachers as much as students. I love finding time in class to talk about real life stuff. It may be at the beginning, middle or end of class. I find things that will spark debate. It will have nothing to do with the lesson, it is just a break from listening. I find it helps me do a better job teaching and the kids welcome the break and a chance to give their opinions. I love it when kids in the next room say we can hear your class.
ReplyDelete"I can't ask questions We don't have time." This should be an easy fix. Email questions or post them on a Google Classroom so the teacher can look at them and address them in the next class. There should also be some class time for the questions. There should be time at the beginning, middle and end.
"I have to stay in my seat unless the teacher says I can get up." We are on a block schedule so sitting in one spot for 87 minutes is difficult. It's important to come up with activities where students can move about the room. I like to take my class to different parts of the building. We also do a lot of skits to practice things we are learning.
My out of the box activity would be an occasional Advocate Olympics. Have advisory classes compete against each other in physical and mental activities.
1. "I have to stay in my seat unless a teacher says I can get up or get in a group. I seem to get ideas faster when I'm standing." I have the privilege of having many lab tables in my classroom. I do allow some students that have asked to stand at the table to stand. They will actually stand the entire class and prefer it.
ReplyDelete2. "I am not allowed to talk unless the teacher says I can. I like to talk; it helps me learn." I would provide as many opportunities as I can to get students talking. I would have lots of turn and talks with a table partner, and lots of group work, and student lead activities.
3. I want to have a longer recess, but we can't. I love to play ball with my friends-we teach each others lots of game moves, but that is not on any test." I would maybe use this as an incentive. This students sound like they would really work hard to earn some extra recess.
My out of the box activity I would like to implement with my own class is more real-world experiences. I would love to have more field trips or experts coming into the classroom if it could be budgeted.
Three statements from the list really concerned me: “If it doesn’t get graded, then why am I doing this?”, “Why is school so boring?”, and “I want to have a longer recess… we teach each other a lot of game moves, but that’s not on any test.” All three highlight how students often see learning as something that’s only valuable if it’s graded, entertaining, or tied to a test, and that’s a major problem.
ReplyDeleteFor the first statement, we can shift classroom culture by helping students see learning as meaningful beyond points. More authentic tasks, student choice, and real-world connections can help them feel like the work has value even if it isn’t graded.
The idea that school is boring is another red flag. Teachers and schools could incorporate more movement, hands-on activities, and student-led learning so the day feels engaging instead of something to “get through.”
The recess comment shows how much students crave unstructured social learning. Schools could build in short movement breaks, collaborative games, or outdoor learning moments so kids don’t lose that natural curiosity and teamwork they gain from play.
One out-of-the-box idea I want to implement is a “math lab” hour where students can come in for help, ask questions, or work on projects and have the support of an educator. I tried a version of this with before and it never really got off the ground, but bringing it back in a more intentional way and as a more experienced educator, could help rebuild students’ confidence, curiosity, and love for math.
The author lists things kids say about school. From the list, choose 3 that are most concerning to you and describe changes teachers/school could make to address these statements. What is one out-of-the-box idea you have or will implement with your own students?
ReplyDelete"The bell rang before I could finish the test"...Because I'm a MS math teacher and I hear our high school teachers say that they 'made' the test an hour long so kids MUST finish it is a red flag. Some kids are just slow processors and need extra time. I changed this way of thinking and now let kids come in during ICU time to finish up assessments. In the real world if a person needs more time to finish up a project they are working on for their boss etc they might have to work on it on their own time and not just during working hours. We have to change this mindset and do what is best for the student.
I have too much homework and if I don't do it, I'll be in trouble ... I have mixed feelings on this one - are students just too lazy to finish or do they not have the time or help needed to complete? I see kids walk out to the bus after school and walk in from the bus in the morning with NO bookbag and no homework/books going home. I for one don't assign much homework. I give ample time at the end of the lesson to work on it in class so kids can ask for clarification/help.
If it doesn't get graded, then why am I doing this....if it's not worthy of a grade then why in the heck is the teacher assigning it? I'm not a big believer in busy work for students and if they spend time doing the work then I spend the time to grade it and make comments. This is also a time that I need to see if kids are on track or not. Again, I teach math so I need to know if the skills are there or if reteaching needs to be done.
My out-of-th-box idea is that I've been trying to do is to incorporate one fun game or activity with each unit I teach so kids don't think school always is boring and it gives them time to learn with their peers etc.
1. I want to have a longer recess, but we can't. I love to play ball with my friends - we teach each other lots of game moves, but that is not on any test.
ReplyDeleteI have started implementing small brain breaks in my classes and it has helped dramatically with behavior and focus. Kids just can't focus for 45 minutes non-stop, much less 7 hours.
2. I have to stay in my seat unless the teacher says I can get up or get in a group. I seem to get ideas faster when I am standing.
It feels really bad that kids are sitting in chairs almost all day. I am trying to figure out ways to incorporate movement into band in a healthy way.
3. I used to like school.
I definitely notice the divide between elementary and middle school is how kids think about school. I try hard to see what lower elementary teachers are doing and try to make learning fun how they do.
My out-of-the box idea is that I want to give kids more agency in their learning and more control over how they learn it.
1. “I can’t ask too many questions. We don’t have time.”
ReplyDeleteWhen students feel rushed or believe their questions are inconvenient, they begin to see learning as task completion rather than exploration. I work very hard to have dedicated question time or discussion time at the end of each lesson. I also allow them to discuss with their peers, so if they don’t feel comfortable asking in front of the class or if we don’t get all the questions, they still have a chance to get the answer they need.
2. “I don’t understand some things, and the teacher doesn’t have time to help me. There are too many other kids in the classroom who need more help than I do.”
These students are not disruptive, but they are struggling silently. They may feel invisible, overlooked, or undeserving of support. I currently don’t have this issue since my class only has 6 students. But in previous years, with larger classes, I have divided them into small groups, based on their ability, and then I work briefly with each group. Giving the most time to the group struggling the most, but also allowing time for the higher groups who may still have questions or need a little extra help.
3. “If it doesn’t get graded, then why am I doing this?”
This is maybe the most concerning statement because it reflects a mindset driven by compliance rather than purpose. I try to give a grade for most things. Sometimes it is simply a completion grade. But I do think students should get credit for the time and effort they put into their work.
My out-of-the-box idea is to give students more say in how they learn. I can do this by giving students a choice board of projects/activities they can do to complete their learning of a topic.
"I used to like school."
ReplyDelete"Do I have to go to school today?'
"I hate school."
All three of these statements are tied together. It is so sad that students say this, and I feel like these statements are coming from elementary students. Schools need to have music, art, PE, and more recess. Let kids get outside and move their bodies! Minds work better when the body get to move. Adults have coffee breaks, longer lunches, time to regroup, water/snack breaks etc...
If more classrooms could be set up to encourage more space to move around, or be out of seats, have windows that open and encourage getting out into the environment, children would like or at least not hate coming to school.
Three statements from kids that concern me most are:
ReplyDelete“I have to stay in my seat.” I address this by offering the majority of learning through play, allowing students to move, explore, and engage actively in the classroom.
“I am not allowed to talk.” I encourage communication and collaboration, while also teaching students that interrupting can be disruptive, helping them balance social interaction with classroom focus.
“If it’s not graded, why am I doing it?” As an ECSE teacher, I don’t grade students. Instead, I focus on mastery, growth, and meaningful experiences that help children learn and develop skills naturally.
Out-of-the-box idea: I plan to create a “learning stations” setup where students choose activities that interest them. Each station will focus on different skills (sensory, cognitive, social-emotional), giving students ownership of their learning while still meeting developmental goals.
"I am not allowed to talk unless the teacher says I can." I encourage as much communication in my classroom as most of my students are considered non-speaking.
ReplyDelete"Do I have to go to school today?" Even though I have upper elementary students and middle school students, I hear this from some of my students in upper elementary. They struggle to come to school because of all of the "sitting and getting" they have to do in the general classroom.
"I have to stay in my seat unless the teacher says I can get up or get in a group. I seem to get ideas faster when I am standing."
I hate having my students sit in their chairs while we work. If I was able to have them work more while moving, I would love to do that. I do provide breaks for them between work systems, but it's still not enough movement for some of them.
1) "I want to have longer recess but we can't. I love to play ball with my friends- we teach each other lots of game moves. But that is not on any test."
ReplyDeleteI would say that there should be a balance of all things that are done. There is a saying all things in moderation. You do want to have more time doing the things that you believe you excel at and ignore the things that you are poorer at. However, this means you will never really have a chance to succeed in things you struggle with when you don't do them at all. This being said recess is a small portion of the school day so extending time to fit a balance may be ok but it is important to make sure kids work on things they struggle with is important even if they complain they don't enjoy them.
2) "I can't get it all done. There is too much information in our books."
As teachers we do need to make sure that we are setting a pace where most students will be able to follow. If there are a majority that are falling behind we need to address what the problem is. It is possible for students to look at the enormity of textbooks and get overwhelmed. I have had a student complain about this to me before and what I asked them was- How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You see we don't expect them to get the textbook and then after a week having read it all and know everything about the subject. We go chapter by chapter and make sure to reiterate what we believe they should know to be beneficial to them.
3)"I think my teacher doesn't like boys, because she is always yelling at them."
This may sound like an obvious comment on this matter, but is important to try and treat everyone fairly and equally when you are teaching. That is a very hard thing to do in practice however. You will have students who will not listen, will not cooperate, and will not try. There will be some who actively try to sabotage your class for nothing more than it amuses them. You still need to treat them with the same kind of respect you show other students. You are the adult in the room, this does not mean that you don't punish inappropriate behavior when it happens but you cannot go to there level and you should not hold it against them. You don't know why the student is acting the way they do but their grades are not something that any teacher should use to get even with students they don't enjoy having.
The author lists things kids say about school. From the list, choose 3 that are most concerning to you and describe changes teachers/school could make to address these statements. What is one out-of-the-box idea you have or will implement with your own students?
ReplyDelete1. "I can't ask too many questions. We don't have enough time." I am always asking students for understanding and clarity of information, material, and assignments. I also reiterate just prior to classroom work time that is they have questions the can ask. Students are also allowed to stop by my classroom with questions during SRB- study hall. Students can also email me at anytime and since I have it on my phone I always rely ASAP.
2. "I am worried about missing school, because when I do the teacher says, 'You'll just have to get caught up.' How do I do that?" This one was interesting to me as students vary greatly on how they deal with being absent. On one hand, some students simply seem to think the work is excused, nonexistent, or will magically disappear while on the other hand students like in the example become anxious and worry about getting it made-up. Both require different approaches. In the case of the example, those students are often very conscious of their grades and want to get it in and I try to assure them that I will work with them and they will have extra time in an effort to lower their stress level.
3. "I hate school." This to me is the universal go to answer. I remember thinking and saying at times throughout my schooling, but it way always short-lived. We all have good & bad days were we feel like that about something. I think making the classroom and school a safe, positive, and welcoming place is the key to building student-teacher relationships where students want to be in class or school.
Out-of-the-Box Idea: My out-of-box idea is simple. I plan to continue to try to foster positive relationships with my students so that they know I am approachable for questions, they can come in when absent, and hopefully want to be in school.
1) "I can't ask to many questions. We don't have." Asking questions is how students learn. If they are not able to get all their questions answered. How is that possible. I think it's important to leave time after the lesson to answer the questions the students have. It will make sure the students understand the assignment, so they can do their homework. If you answer the questions now, it might decrease the questions that could come up the next day.
ReplyDelete2) " I might not get a good grade in math, because I can't remember formulas very well. If I do extra-credit work, maybe I will pass." I think it's important that the students can solve the formula instead of memorizing the formula. I think providing the formula is so important because when they get into the real world if they need a formula. They will be able to google the formula. I think knowing how to solve the equation is more important and more beneficial for the student.
3)"I have to stay in my seat unless the teacher says I can get up or get in a group. I seem to get ideas faster when I am standing." I think it's important to allow students to be somewhat flexible either sitting in a chair, sitting on a ball, or even standing. If its not bothering any students then it shouldn't be a problem. If teachers are willing to let some flexibility, they might see a different way the student is listening in class. Which will have lots of benefit for everyone.
What is one out-of-the-box idea: I think if getting students questions answered is a struggle. I really like the "waiting Room" idea. If the student has a question the student grabs a number. The student continue to work until their number is called. This will help to prevent a line by the teacher desk and help make sure each child gets their questions answered.