Contrast
has a way of emphasizing the truth.
Today as I was listening to the woes of a young teacher who’s been
chased out of the profession by stress and negativism, it brought into clearer
focus what I’d heard earlier in the week about praise. Let me tell you stories from both sides of
the praise experience.
Samantha
was a third-year middle-school teacher with a mind for not only trivia but also
big ideas – a combination that served her well as a US History teacher. She survived the first-year experience only a
little ruffled and had a solid second year, but during her third year in the classroom,
Sam faced blame-and-shame from her principal.
After test scores came back, much lower than expected, the principal
didn’t listen to her explanation of the scoring change that had impacted scores
throughout the district. She didn’t
listen to concerns that were school-wide about this particular group of
eighth-grade students. Instead, she took
away Samantha’s extracurricular (coaching the drama club), because: “We do that
with students when they aren’t passing. Shouldn’t we do that with you?” She
sent Samantha to a classroom management inservice, figuring that would help get
the desired boost in test scores.
Samantha felt disempowered, and her desire to continue the work
diminished. “I still loved the kids and
loved my team,” she said, “but the principal made it unbearable.” She quit.
That
conversation brings into stark relief a meeting I had Thursday with a group of
elementary teachers. As they reflected on the power of praise, they reminisced
about a favorite principal. “She was in
our rooms so much, sometimes we didn’t even notice she was there,” they
said. “Then we’d find a note in our box
pointing out something we’d done well.” “It
made me want to try harder,” a teacher said.
“I wanted to be as good as she thought I was,” said another. Praise motivated these teachers to try harder
and be better. It lifted them and encouraged
them to keep going, even when the going got hard.
It’s
that time of year when stamina runs low.
If achievement tests aren’t zapping your energy, students’ spring fever
is. In some parts of the country, May
marks the beginning of the end of the school year. We could all use the boost that praise provides. As these final weeks roll around, I’m going
to try to be a
bucket filler whenever I can. Whether
it’s a quick comment in the hall, a note in the mailbox, or an email sent at
the end of the day, a drop of praise can make a big difference in the life of a
teacher.
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
Pool noodle fractions
(great dollar-store manipulatives!):
Leftovers
from National Poetry Month - 10 poetry ideas for
middle school students (adaptable!):
Movie making and the
literacy connection:
Effective book talks: Advise from
students:
Spotlight on English Language Learners:
