A Bit of Zen

I’ve had two moments in my teaching career which have completely changed my life and saved my sanity. I will talk about the second moment, and save my first for another bloggy.

It happened during my sixth year teaching. As a know-it-all hot shot bio teacher, I was invited to a Strategic Literacy Workshop sponsored by West Ed in Oakland, California. The experience was so profoundly eye opening that it completely changed how I taught and viewed my students and people in general.

While composting numerous piles of paperwork today, I came across a list from our company presenter, Liz McKay which summed it all. It was written by Ferdinand F. Fournies, from his book, “Why Employees Don’t Do What They’re Supposed to Do and What to Do About It.”

WHY DON’T PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO?

1. They didn’t know why they should do it
2. They didn’t know when to begin and end it
3. They didn’t know what they were supposed to do
4. They didn’t know how to do it
5. They thought they were doing it
6. They thought your way wouldn’t work or that their way was best
7. They thought something else was more important
8. They aren’t rewarded for doing it, or aren’t punished for not doing it
9. They didn’t think they could do it

My student teaching year was the hardest year of my life. Most of my frustrations stemmed from the fact that I had high expectations for my students, but I did all of the work and they never did what they were supposed to. Nine years later, I mentor many teachers with the same issues: How can I get them to do what I ask?

…and my answer is, “You teach them.”

If they are not doing what you ask, than assume that they don’t know how. I had an instructor come to me frustrated that her students did not do their reading homework. I asked her if she taught them how to read the book. HOW MANY teachers have taught students how to read a textbook? Did she ever teach them how to read HER textbook? Ah HAAAA! Problem solved. (Then I wonder: Were WE ever taught how to teach a student to read a textbook???)

If a teacher understands that their students don’t know XY or Z, than teach them how. Don’t assume they already know, otherwise, they would’ve done what you asked them to do! -Unless they’re distracted. (More on this later)

One of my favorite quotes was from my mentor Gina Hale at West Ed: “Teach them the process and the content will come though.” Focusing on the process lets a student know that they CAN do it, and that we’re there to help each step of the way