More than once, I'd been asked this question by my students: "Do we ever do anything that's not hard in your class?"
I thought, “Well, no! That’s the point! Students are supposed to come to class, work hard, and learn the standards.”
Usually I said, “No, we’re always going to work hard.”
I missed some excellent opportunities to have a discussion with my students.
I wish I'd said...
If I could go back in time and talk to those students again, what would I say to them? I hope I’d say something like this:
“No, we’ll probably always work hard in this class. Let me explain the reason.
“After more than 40 years of life, I’ll tell you that being successful means working hard. Never stop trying to improve and learn. That’s how I live my life: I work hard.
I hear their objections. “That’s something adults say, it doesn’t apply to us. Things are different now.”
“Except they’re not completely different! I was a lot like you when I was in middle school. I didn’t like school work. It just didn’t make sense because I didn’t see how it connected with or prepared me for the real world.
“I was bored with my teachers and the work. Sure, maybe they could have been a little more exciting. But, ultimately, it just didn’t strike me as important. I wasn’t motivated to do school.
“So… I didn’t. At least, I didn’t get through it very well. I limped through high school then it took until I was 28 to graduate from college.
"So, if you didn't work hard, why should we?"
Good question – here’s why. Middle school doesn’t last forever. Eventually, we all get to that after school part of our lives. Against all odds, I’ve found this career that I love, helping students learn. A lot of people didn’t think I could do it, but I did. That’s how I know you can and why the work is important.
“The way to get there is by learning to do more. Yes, it’ll be hard work sometimes. Almost everything worth having requires work. I’ll tell you though, the person I am now is absolutely worth the hard work I’ve put into my success.
“I ask more of my students and offer hard work because I know you. I know you’re amazing. And I also know that meeting challenges now will help you meet other challenges later on along the road.
“Sometimes when students look at their teachers, they don’t see someone they relate to. Believe me, most of us relate to you, though. A teacher wouldn’t choose to teach middle school if they didn’t relate to that middle school feeling of “Why does this matter?” (Try asking a teacher you know why they wanted to teach middle school, it might be a surprising conversation. We’re people, too!)
“So, yes. We’ll probably do some hard work today. I’ll also try to make it a little enjoyable, more hands-on and engaging. We might have a great discussion or learn something weird. We’ll also celebrate your successes along the way. You’re going to have a lot of them.”
What an opportunity!
If I could go back in time, I’d want to say something like that. And if I could go even further back in time, I’d let myself know a little of this, too. 😉
