Tough Teachers Get Results

I’m posting an article that I realize might be a bit controversial or viewed as “old school” when it comes to student-teacher relationships and classroom management.  I’m not advocating name-calling or corporal punishment.  I am, however, advocating for teachers to be the instructional leaders in their classrooms.  There is a fine line between befriending a student and establishing a strong, mentoring relationship.  Students need to understand that we care, we have their best interests in mind, and that we will ensure their safety while at school.  Instructors must maintain a “professional distance” in order to build those strong, mentoring relationships.

Students must also realize that respect breeds respect.  There is never a time when professionalism takes a back seat.  Students will test, and those that have experienced repeated school failure are quite often on the defensive. Taking what students say too personally is a downfall of many good instructors.  There is ALWAYS a reason behind the behavior; focusing on the underlying cause is the first step in mitigating those behaviors and encouraging mature, respectful replacement behavior.

There is precious little that modern students have committed to memory. They are resourceful, and that's positive. However, it's alarming how few of the students are able to recite a poem, memorize important facts or formulas, or even recall simple math facts when requested. It’s no wonder that they are unprepared for state-wide testing!  That is a sad commentary on the state of education, or maybe just a sad commentary on how "soft" today's students have become.  Grit, resilience and hard work will lead to success, and it is imperative that we, as educators, instill those work ethics and character traits in the students we serve.  

The eight bullet points in the article, “Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results,” highlight some of the things that have been lost in many of today’s classrooms.  It’s okay to experience a bit of pain and failure IS an option.  When those things happen, the skilled educator responds with corrective action - and THAT is what builds confidence.  Showing the students how to pick themselves up and try again is what will, ultimately, serve them well.  

I hope you enjoy the read and contemplate how you might use some of the strategies in your personal growth.  

Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results

Monday Morning Message

Each Monday, I offer a brief message to the students. Sometimes it’s inspirational, sometimes it is to offer advice, and sometimes, it’s related to the weekly theme.  Today, it’s about America, patriotism and how fortunate we are to live in a country with so many freedoms.

If you haven’t traveled outside of the US, you haven’t begun to experience or appreciate all that it means to live in this country.  I traveled to Europe the summer after my senior year in high school, so I was just about the age that many of you are.  I, like many of you, took everything for granted.  School, books, clothes, friends, cars, pizza on Friday night - all of those things that are important to teens - were important to me, too. I expected that I would have those things, but I didn’t think about what sacrifices others had made so that I could have what I wanted - not what I needed, but what I felt was important.

So, that trip to Europe. I traveled with a group of about 70 teenagers, all members of the Youth for Understanding exchange student program. The YFU Chorale was an elite group of vocalists from Michigan and Ohio. After auditioning and passing the YFU exchange student criteria, the year-long preparation and rehearsals began. At the end of June, with itinerary in hand, we boarded the aircraft for the trip across the Atlantic. 

We stayed in youth hostels, with families that did not speak English, and in low-budget hotels with running cold water only.  It was an eight-week trip. No Internet, no cell phones, no long-distance phone calls.  Strange food, new experiences and unfamiliar customs made most of us very homesick.  In Yugoslavia, which is now Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia,  Montenegro and Kosovo, we stayed in youth hostels.  No one spoke English.  We made our way around using improvised sign language and what little translation the guide could provide.  Our beds were dirty mattresses on the floor, the shower was communal - a man actually walked in when I was showering! - and the toilets were a hole in the floor. There were stalls, but no toilets.  The Yugoslav teens we met were members of the communist party. The President, Joseph Tito, was named President for life in 1963.  The teens spoke openly of President Tito and how no one was permitted to speak negatively about him.  They were living in small, state provided apartments, and had a monthly allowance on which to live. No one was permitted to earn more than the government permitted.  It was strange to us, but even stranger was the fact that these teens were happy. This was their world, and this is what they knew. For me and the group that I was traveling with,  it was definitely an experience for which we were woefully unprepared.

Flash back to that teenager living in the suburbs attending a good school, living in a nice house with everything one might want:  me.  Traveling through Europe, and especially into Yugoslavia, gave me a newfound sense of patriotism.  I never realized or appreciated all that America had to offer.  It was definitely an eye-opening experience.   When we flew back over the Statue of Liberty, I felt a sense of patriotism and pride that I can’t even express today, so many years afterward.

So, why do I bring this up?  Well, many reasons.  First, so many of you seem so sad. Putting your life in perspective might help you realize that you are so very, very fortunate.   Second, the the United States Flag.  I wonder, as I look about the BASE class each day, why so many of you choose to stay seated during the Pledge.  I am not judging you or your choice, but I am curious.  Maybe you’re just too tired to stand.  Maybe you really don’t understand all that you’ve been given.  Maybe you don’t like the implied perception of forced patriotism  that saluting the flag assumes.  Whatever your reasons, it does make we wonder.

So, what is the point of all of this?  Simply this.  Please know that you have a great opportunity in this country. You can go to school. You can live where you want.  You can worship in whatever religion you choose. And, you can stay seated during the Pledge.  And I will continue to wonder, every day, how  I can help you to understand how very, very lucky you are to live in this country.