Teaching and learning should bring joy. This is true for both students and teachers. Unfortunately, we all know that feeling of drudgery when facing a difficult day. Perhaps it's a day of testing that both students and teachers are dreading; maybe it is knowing a student is struggling, a parent is upset, and you feel at a loss. There are years that seem to drag on because of endless banter and dissension within the classroom. I know not every day can be exhilarating. Not every day will feel like a win. But don't we owe it to ourselves and our students to strive for the positive? Is there perhaps some legitimacy to the old cliche when life gives you lemons, make lemonade?
Perspective is everything. Now, I am not saying pretend everything is all right when things are clearly not. All I am suggesting is providing a lens of hope, of perseverance, of opportunity. Let's consider some of the ways in which we talk about students. I have been engaged in a myriad of discussions framed through deficit thinking, focusing upon struggling students, low students, educationally deficient students. Here we view students through the perspective of what is lacking, what is missing. We see a void that we need to fill. I am guilty of this myself, especially on our toughest of days. How does this influence how we view the whole child? How does this influence the ways in which we interact children? How does this influence how students see themselves?
What if we were to change our verbiage so that we suggest progress, growth, and possibility? Consider the impact of switching struggling with striving. We now have a student who is striving to improve, striving to achieve, and we as educators are meaningfully supporting that student with his or her efforts. This adjustment alters the perception of a student with deficiencies to a student with possibilities. Imagine if we referred to these students as striving learners, and they heard us sharing their progress, explicating to parents and colleagues the ways in which they are striving to achieve. They begin to associate their educational experiences with positive affirmation. They begin to recognize the purpose for their learning, and achieving a goal becomes an exciting milestone on their educational journeys. In this light, consider how switching the terminology of Limited English Proficiency to Spanish Dominant reflects students' strengths as opposed to challenges. This validates students' experiences, histories, and cultures, and upholds the tenets of culturally responsive pedagogy as conduits for learning.
Positive, asset based language can foster a culture of learning that promotes students' understanding that they are learners, and conveys the message that teachers believe all students can learn and achieve. Students learn to believe in themselves, and embrace the identity of "I am a learner. I am somebody. I am valuable." Challenges become opportunities for success, and trials lead to celebrations. Students begin to recognize the values and strengths of one another, and classroom culture is transformed to one of generative knowledge sharing, support, and encouragement. Students recognize that everyone is a learner, and that each student is on their own journey. No two students are at the same place on their journeys, and they respect that these differences are natural, as we each have our own learning identities. Imagine the impact of such positivity, where even challenging days can bring joy. Something as simple as marking students as a +20, as opposed to writing an F grade shows that students have a starting point. They are not at zero, they are making progress and will continue to strive. We are building students through the tenets of resilience, optimism, and confidence.
We endeavor to impact and change lives as educators. We have the power to do this beyond our comprehension. Our interactions and language within the classroom can plant seeds of inspiration for future leaders as our children grow and head out into the world. You never know which word or phrase will stick and keep that student afloat. Years back I had a student in my fourth grade class who had a lot of potential. He was silly, a bit rambunctious, but full of energy that I believed could take him on the most incredible life journey. I repeatedly told him that he will do great things, that I could see it in him. He did not fully believe me, and often would just laugh it off and say, "Oh Ms. H. I'm just me and always will be." To which I would respond, "You just wait and see. One day you will be the one giving that speech on graduation day." Well, I received an email the other day. Guess who is giving the valedictorian speech this week? He commenced his email with, "Unsurprisingly, wise Mrs. H called it eight years ago - I'm giving the address at graduation." He remembered, and what I said reverberated through his being to the point he began to believe it, too. There is amazing power in our classroom language, it is up to us as educators to wield it with purpose.
Let's be champions. Check out Rita Pierson's TED Talk: Every Kid Needs a Champion below.
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