when i was in high school, i almost always did very well. (except for in English, where i got only B's and C's, which is terribly ironic...) however, i also KNEW i would do well. i remember going into AP biology exams feeling very confident i would get at least a 95%. i would play little games with myself to see if i could get exactly 95% every time. indeed, i was a big nerd, and it's a wonder that i had friends in high school.
when i came to college, i was very nervous about doing well. i was taking two of the lsa's toughest weeder courses at the same time. but i came out of high school so confident in my brilliance that i didn't even care. i had the freshman dream. [get great grades, work out every day, and have a hot girlfriend]
when i got my first exam back, it had a big 39 on it. i looked at my gsi, "was this scaled to a 40 or 50 point scale?" he looked at me with a look of confusion, "this is out of 120." a part of me died at that moment. from then on, i was TERRIFIED of exams. i had this notion that i was bad a calc and orgo, and i couldn't seem to get over it.
this trend continued throughout my freshman year and it wasn't until sophomore year that i came out of my slump. it was cognitive psych class, and i was going into the final. i had an average of 86%, but the final was worth quite a bit. my grade could still sway either way. the realization came to me the morning before the final. the difference was confidence and self-perception. as i sat down for my final, i said to myself, "you're going to ace this exam. you're probably the smartest guy in this room right now." grade on final exam: 116/117. grade in class: A
while i am at Belleville, i constantly hear kids/teachers talking about how dumb they are or how bad they are at whatever. while i'm at the International Academy, i constantly hear kids/teachers talking about how great they are and how good their school is. maybe it is arrogance, but maybe it is reinforcing an attitude of excellence.
maybe if you get a bunch of kids to really believe they are the smart kids, then they really will BE the smart kids.
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2 comments:
Bravo Larry!
My rule is to never listen to what another teacher says about a student...I like to form my own opinions based on my interactions with them. I agree with you, every student should think they are smart and be praised for that! The power of self-esteem should never be overlooked.
Lots to think about here, Larry. I have to think that somewhere in this mix is kids seeing a place for themselves at school, somewhere where their talents or experiences are recognized, and are seen to have some value. The challenge then becomes how to facilitate this, starting with an interest in your students as people, and building from there. I think that one of the many benefits to be derived from this is that there may be a moment or two along the way when we can connect with our students and have a variation on the kind of honest conversation that you're modeling here..."I know that you can do this and I think you do, too...give yourself a chance", etc.
Thanks for a candid, thoughtful post that stimulated some useful thinking...
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