MOTIVATE!

The first few days of classes has always been an interesting time in the life of a teacher. We prepare for it rigorously. We set up our classrooms, we design instructional materials, we enter our rosters in the grading program and try to remember the names of all the kids.

We deal with bunches of schedule changes, pass out books, rearrange the classroom, go over the records of our new students to see where their strengths and/or weaknesses may be, and order more textbooks. We pass out syllabi and self-assessments.

But mostly we LAY DOWN THE LAW. Yes, this it has been said is the single most important thing you can do in your fist days of a new school year. Veteran teachers tell you it is the activity that will set the tone for the entire year. It can make or break you.

It will let your students know who you are and that you mean business. And they also tell you not to smile. Not until after Winter Break, it is commonly said.

In my classrooms, I have followed a lot of different paths. I have gone over classroom expectations, I have jumped right into teaching, I have conducted foofy little getting-to-know-you activities (hey, I was new once!) than most teachers seem so fond of, and that the kids are so bored with they want to gag.

I also taught a very diverse set of kids, who were of every shade known to mankind, who spoke a multitude of languages, who had vastly different ability levels in math, and who, for some reason, were "earmarked" as the kids who would have trouble with the curriculum.

Well, with hindsight, I know what I would do now.

I would ask every one of my kids in the room to write down one "prejudice" that people may have against some other group of people.

Once everyone had one, I'd write them on the board. I'd try to group them into categories first by what group of people is targeted. Then I'd try to subgroup them into classes of prejudice. You know, moral, intellectual, social, etc…

Well, once this was done, I'd try to dissect them, lead my class on a discussion. Are all black people from low-income families? Are all Spanish speakers illegal immigrants? Are boys better in math and science than girls? Are football players always dumb jocks? Are gay man not tough? Are Asians all smart? Are the kids with glasses all nerds? And so forth…

But the point here, for me anyway, would be this: I want my students to work hard and achieve. That goes for the kids who always ace math, right down to the kids who are really unlikely to pass the class!

The kids who have all the skills to succeed already still have to learn. Maybe they can learn further than the needed material. But they can also learn to communicate better, and build leadership skills.

The kids that are going to struggle, need to learn some study skills that are going to take them to the next level. One that will be useful in other classes. And they need to learn that hard work does pay off.

The kids who have never seen a fraction before, don't speak the language, and have no idea how to use a calculator, are some very sad cases. But they still deserve to LEARN in my class. Maybe I'm only going to teach them some of the classroom vocabulary they will need, and some basic math and how to get it done on the calculator. Hopefully it will be enough to pass this time. If not, it's going to have to be enough so that they can be successful NEXT time!

In reality, these kids in my classes -- no matter what their ability or previous achievement level is -- their INSTRUCTION is bought and paid for. What they DO with it is up to them. And they have the choice, how it turns out.

You can work in favor of the stereotypes, or you can work to beat them. You can show that household income doesn't predict ability. You can show that your home language isn't a barrier to success. You can show that your ethnicity doesn't affect how hard you work. You can show that people of all colors, beliefs, and backgrounds can be smart, and can succeed in the classroom.

Or you can NOT. You can give up. And you can make yourself into a caricature of some stereotype someone will slap on you -- because the negative stereotypes, those exist to knock any- and everyone down.

You could be that over-privileged XXX kid who thinks everything should just be handed to him. You could be that YYY kid who clowns around to hide the fact that they are really not very bright. You could be that ZZZ kid who is lazy, because they have no discipline at home.

Plug in whatever you want for X, Y, or Z. Any one of our kids, can become any one of those. OR they can strike a blow to knock down barriers and make people think twice about pidgin-holing them.

In essence, kids going to school don't rise to the expectations of parents or teachers. They rise to the level of expectation we, as parents and educators, help them set for themselves.

At the end of class, I would ask my students, what are you going to DO this year, in your math class. Their responses could ideally help me motivate them, with their OWN ideas and their OWN goals, when the going gets tough.

Talk to your kids about this, and ask them a bigger question: What are you going to do with this WEEK? This MONTH? This YEAR? Because kids need to start thinking about setting goals for themselves. Kids, even (especially??) teenagers, are going to surprise you with the depth and thought they can bring when answering such a question.

And reminding them of these, their own goals, their own ideas about what they can achieve… Can really help them when things aren't going their way.