How do we answer this: Why should students care?

[Kevin H.]

I have a site known as Found Magazine in my RSS. It's fascinating to read and see the things that people find. There are some great stories in there.
This found object came through this morning and it is sticking with me.

So, I wonder: how do we put into words the reasons why students need to care?
Kevin

[Kevin H.]

Dear student,
You've probably had a lot of teachers who have fed you lessons and learning with little reason behind it. I know I did when I was growing up and it made me crazy. I hope I don't do the same with you as your teacher, although there are going to be times when it may seem as if I am making you do things that are isolated and out of context. I hope to keep those activities to a minimum. Sometimes, we need to lay the groundwork for better things to come.
I want you to care about what you are doing because caring people shape this world for the better. You may be young, but you have a voice, and I want to help you find that voice and use it as best as I can. You should care because your interest and curiosity now will set the stage for an intriguing life later on. You should care because all of us have something inside us that drives -- all of us are poets, all of us are scientists, all of us are musicians -- and you nurture that kernel of being by caring for the world and yourself.
I can't help you answer this question alone, though.
You need to be on the journey, too, and let me help you with your explorations. Let me show you how caring looks and then maybe, hopefully, you'll see how one person can impact another in a positive way.
Sincerely,
Your Teacher

[Corey L. Harbaugh]

I like Jeff Wilhelm's response: it's easier for a student to say "this is stupid" than to admit "I don't get it, or I don't belong, so I must be stupid", which is what they're feeling. Why do I care is a question in the same vein. I wrote a short blog entry about that a few months back:

When School is Stupid

I’ve heard it a million times—a student will communicate in no uncertain terms that “this (school, assignment, class, book, etc.) is stupid.” When a student says it, it can sound angry, and it doesn’t help much to try to argue with that student or convince him or her that they are mistaken. The best thing to do is listen, acknowledge the feelings, and reframe the discussion towards something more positive.

I also agree with what Jeff Wilhelm said about students who say “this is stupid.” Wilhelm is a former teacher turned professor from Maine who found that students say “school is stupid” because they don’t feel successful or like they fit in, and it’s a whole lot easier to say “this is stupid” than it is to admit that “I don’t get it, so I must be stupid,” but that’s exactly what kids are feeling when they say it.

For the record, it’s a fact that school is harder now than it has ever been. A few years ago the State of Michigan raised the standards and expectations for what it requires to graduate from school in Michigan. All students must complete difficult classes in all areas, such as chemistry in science, advanced math, and difficult English and social studies classes. Students have to be proficient in computers, and soon will even be required to successfully study a foreign language just to graduate from high school.

Many successful adults would be challenged by the classes our teens take each day, even college-educated adults like myself would probably be tempted to say “this is stupid” in a challenging chemistry or physics class. (It’s easier than admitting that chemistry and physics are very hard for me!)

In an earlier blog I shared my agreement with the statement of First Lady Laura Bush that “reading is the new civil right,” meaning that the ability to read, or to be fully literate, more than any other academic skill, will give a child opportunity to learn, and eventually find employment in our knowledge-based economy. We can’t afford to let students leave our school feeling stupid.

I heard Jeff Wilhelm speak a few years ago, and I read his book about teaching at-risk middle school students to read. He was not some egghead professor spouting off theories, he was a regular guy, albeit a passionate educator, who loves kids and wants to help. And his message makes sense. The relationship kids have with school, their attitude about learning, and the investment of teachers and parents to help kids get past “this is stupid” is critical.

When a child says school is stupid to a teacher or parent, it should sound like an ambulance siren screaming down the street: there is a life at stake, and we need to get that student some help. If you hear it, do what you can to address it—behind that statement a student is saying I don’t know what to do to be successful. And believe it or not, that’s what every kid wants, even the angry ones.



Anyhow, the question "Why do I care?" to me should point a teacher to the child's experience underneath the question.

[Kevin H.]

Great response.
Thanks
Kevin

[Elyse Eidman-Aadahl]

And not to toot our own horn, but Jeff is a former Teacher-consultant from the Maryland Writing Project (you go, Maryland!), founded the Maine writing project, and now directs a WP in Idaho. So no wonder he's no egghead, he's an NWPer. :-)