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Sue lived out in the country and had trouble attending class regularly. Although she had been an indifferent student, in my Composition I class she discovered that she had a flair for writing. By the second semester, Sue wanted to take my Composition II class, although she did not meet the grade point average requirements. We decided to let her risk it. She struggled to keep up with the challenging course, but she relished interacting with higher-achieving students—observing what they wrote about and hearing their comments about her writing. As I challenged her to look for ways to improve her craft, her school attendance improved, her writing went through the roof, and hers was the biggest smile in the class photo on the final day of the school year.
—Julie Stauber, Q-Comp and staff development coordinator, Proctor Public Schools, Proctor, Minnesota
Kenny was a great kid. He was a senior, and I had taught him for four years. But then his mother started a live-in relationship, and Kenny acquired a new "brother." This was a big change: one good student and one apathetic student, both in the same grade and living in a blended family. Unfortunately, Kenny quickly took lessons from his new roommate/brother and became apathetic in school.
I refused to give up on Kenny just because he was having difficulty adapting to a situation that he hadn't created. I tried different projects and groupings; I tried getting his mom involved. Nothing worked. He was a senior; he had already made plans to attend the local community college. One day, I said, "If you've given up now, what's going to stop that from happening at college? Any little blip will be the end of your dreams." He said, like any good teen, "No, it won't," and I said, "How do you know?" That was the end of our conversation. He continued to avoid doing work, and he failed my class. Smart kid, no motivation.
One year later, I received a report card from Kenny in the mail. In his first two semesters of college, he had earned a 3.85 grade point average. He continued to send me copies of his college report cards for the next two years.
You never know when one simple comment or question will finally hit home. I couldn't catch him when he was with me, but in the end Kenny was proud to prove to me that he could do it!
—Jennifer Fox, school improvement data consultant, Jackson County Intermediate School District, Jackson, Michigan
Luke was assigned to my K/1 multi-age class for his second year as a kindergartner. He clearly felt bad about himself because he had been retained; he repeatedly mentioned the fact that he was "supposed to be a 1st grader." But during the second half of the year, he started performing at and above grade level. Because he was one of the "big guys" in the multi-age class, the other kindergartners looked to him for help and encouragement, and his leadership skills blossomed.
However, even though he had a good command of sight word recognition and phonics skills, he was still a reluctant reader and writer. As I searched for ways to motivate him, I noticed that he was drawn to technology. (Our classroom is equipped with 10 iPads.) I decided to introduce an e-book reading program that rewarded students with points for reading and being assessed on leveled books. I had finally found his "carrot"! Because of his competitive nature, Luke became a voracious reader. Opportunities to lead, to nurture younger students, and to compete with his peer group all helped motivate Luke. The roles and relationships that are inherent in a multi-age setting, along with the draw of technology, led to his success.
—Teri Brooks, K/1 multi-age teacher, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Davidson, North Carolina
Felipe, an 8th grader who had been sent to my office for repeatedly being noncompliant in class, asked me, "Everyone else is fine with me failing, why aren't you?" My honest response was, "Because I care about you." His reaction was a look of disgust. But as I continued to challenge him to show effort and to let him know I was proud of his efforts, he began to smile more, show more respect in class, and enjoy being at school more. Long-lasting change comes from building relationships and letting students (and adults) know you care about them.
—Randy Groya, principal, Waldon Middle School, Lake Orion, Michigan
Linda was an 8th grader who was sent to my office on a regular basis—usually because she had acted up to get sent out of class and avoid doing the work. We tried lunch detentions, after-school detentions, and even in-school suspension; nothing changed.
So we made a new plan. The gifted program for elementary students in the district was housed in our building, and I asked one of the gifted teachers if she could use an extra pair of hands with her 2nd graders. The next time Linda showed up in the office, I walked her down to the gifted teacher's classroom. Linda wasn't sure about this, but she didn't want another detention.
When she came back to the office after class, I asked how she liked working with the 2nd graders. She loved it! We made a deal: If Linda behaved well in all her classes and finished her work, she could be a regular helper in the gifted program. It worked perfectly. She just needed to feel that school could be a fun place to learn.
—Susan A. Bell, principal, retired, St. Charles, Missouri
Joe slept in class, often and deeply. When awake, he surreptitiously texted friends or simply gazed into space. Although clearly intelligent, Joe finished the first quarter with a D in English 11, largely because of assignments not handed in. Talking to him, I discovered that he worked 30 hours a week at a local restaurant and that he'd always been able to skip doing homework and still ace the tests. We made a bargain—he would complete major assignments for me but would be excused from the smaller, practice-oriented tasks. He bloomed. Overjoyed to be free from worksheets and writing prompts, he took what he was required to do seriously. He revealed himself to be a gifted student and a force to be reckoned with in class discussions. He finished the year with an A-.
—Jennifer Zeuli, English department head, Masconomet Regional School District, Boxford, Massachusetts
Two years ago, our school enrolled Asim, a student whose family had relocated to another country before seeking refuge in the United States. As a result of his frequent moves, Asim had missed several years of schooling. He and his family didn't speak English. Once he entered our school, I conducted home visits with his family. Our staff created a learning plan that customized his school day to provide the right level of challenge. This plan focused on inclusion and built on Asim's strengths and interests, such as his interest in aviation. The plan also provided individualized teaching focused on key literacy and numeracy areas, as well as parent support and home resources. The teaching team and I met every six weeks to monitor his progress, as we do for all students.
Asim achieved two years of growth in the first nine months and is now nearly at benchmark level in some content areas. Even more gratifying is that he is happy and engaged with peers in the regular classroom. He never required special services. His success is the result of teacher teamwork. His parents were thankful, and the teachers are proud of his growth.
—Sandra Trach, principal, Estabrook Elementary School, Lexington, Massachusetts
Sometimes, leaders need to stop and just ask the students what motivates them. Their answers can remind us of the strength and motivation that reside inside our most challenged students. To view a video featuring the voices of four Oakland High School students who refused to become dropout statistics, go to www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/watch/Pages/video.aspx?v=P1AHocRt3IY.
—Josh Garcia, deputy superintendent, Tacoma Public Schools Tacoma, Washington
DJ struggled at the beginning of the year to stay focused in my computer class. When another teacher mentioned that DJ had recently been attending the trial of his mother's murderer, his inattentiveness, irritability, and short fuse made more sense. Knowing his situation helped change my approach to him. I took time to talk with him in the hallway before school to let him know that he could talk to me about his situation if he wanted to. Although he never took me up on that offer, he did express an interest in my robotics team. I realized robotics might be a good outlet for him, so I invited him to join. The other students seemed to accept him as he learned computer code and helped with fund-raisers. At the club's end-of-year luau, complete with leis and limbo, DJ was the life of the party.
—Chris Bates, teacher, Vicksburg Junior High School, Vicksburg, Mississippi
As an incoming freshman, Edward was unmotivated, socially awkward, and unwilling to participate in small-group or whole-group lessons. He preferred to keep to himself and focus on hiding his face behind a magazine. We worked to help him interact and communicate with his peers and taught him about interpersonal communications. By applying these lessons, he became more engaged in class activities.
—Kaywin Cottle, RTI coach, Preston, Idaho
Jenna was a student who came into my English class as a disengaged high school junior. She was uninterested in school; she worked nights and weekends as a waitress, and she felt that was what she would do with her life. I tried to connect the literature we studied to real life and began to build her up as a student, demonstrating to her that she could do anything she put her mind to. She went from being a student who didn't care and just wanted to pass to being a conscientious learner who wanted to be on the honor roll.
—Martin R. Geoghegan, principal, John T. Nichols Jr. Middle School, Middleborough, Massachusetts
As an intervention teacher, I'm blessed to have students who, although low in their initial skill levels, are usually highly motivated. But Sam was different. When I taught him in 1st grade, he was only engaged when he had a chance to be argumentative. The next year, he was retained in grade and I did not teach him. But when I had him the following year as a 2nd grader, he started out with the same argumentative pattern. Fortunately, I had grown in my practice and ability to engage students in discussion, and I noticed that as I let Sam share more and more without interrupting him, I was able to truly appreciate the depth and intelligence of his thought processes and contributions. The second half of the year, his reading level shot up!
—Bev Supanick, ESOL teacher, Adelphi Elementary School, Adelphi, Maryland
Note: All student names are pseudonyms.
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