“If we want effort from our kids, we’re going to have to put effort into the learning experiences we create. If we want to be respected by our kids, we need to be respectable. If we want to be trusted by our kids, we need to be trustworthy. If we want to have a positive impact, we have to bring something impactful to the classroom.”
Setting a Scene
That’s me, wearing a hazmat suit, at school, with a close teacher-friend. Yes, we felt as stupid as we looked, however, we were practicing lessons on internet safety, and wanted to make the lesson memorable for our students. So, in Abbott and Costello fashion, we donned our hazmat gear to pretend that we thought the term “Internet Safety” meant we needed PPE to prevent exposure to viruses.
To be clear, this was not a silly skit for 7 or 8-year-old’s. This was a full blown production for high-school kids, involving students from the theater department, other teachers and principals, donations from the local fire department, the list goes on… It was a show! And it was memorable.
Kids Don’t Learn From People They Don’t Like.
Teaching 14-year-old’s was not easy for me. Early on, I had this idea that learning was the automatic and reciprocal result of teaching… as if all I had to do was walk into the classroom and start dropping knowledge and my students would soak up every word. That misconception lasted about 10 minutes before I realized I was way off base. I may have been teaching (or at least I was in the front of the room talking,) but my students were not learning a thing. I became frustrated and immediately blamed my students, their parents, society, and the school system.
Before going any further, I want to be clear about my intent. When I say, “kids don’t learn from people they don’t like” I am not suggesting we need to be buddies with our students. I am also not suggesting that every lesson we teach should involve a full scale production with hazmat suits and musical theater. What I am saying is that I experienced tremendous growth as an educator as I changed my attitude toward teaching and learning. Rather than blaming my circumstances when I observed low student engagement, I did a little soul searching and determined that the change needed to begin with me.
We Reap What We Sow
If we want effort from our kids, we’re going to have to put effort into the teaching experiences we create. If we want respect from our kids, we need to be respectable. If we want trust from our kids, we need to be trustworthy. If we want to have a positive impact, we have to bring something impactful to the classroom.
Today, I want to encourage us all to be nice. Be likable, be interesting, and be interested. Have remarkably high expectations for your kids and never let them off easy. Believe in them, and use words and actions to communicate your belief. And remember, kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.
