I have had the great privilege of attending several conferences with the amazing Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser. I always enjoy learning from him, and he has made a huge impact on my teaching. One of Dr. Tim's quotes that I have heard many times is, "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." I could not agree with this more. When dealing with the issue of keeping students engaged in class, I believe that both teachers and students need to change the way they look at things.
We all have dreamed of that ideal classroom. We are standing in the front of the room pouring out knowledge to the students, and they are hanging on our every word. They are excited to be in the room everyday and they chant our name as we walk down the hall. Reality is often a much different picture. Educators are under a lot of stress. We are overloaded, under paid, and constantly worried by our students hitting bench marks all while losing more and more instructional time to standardized testing. Many educators also fall into the trap of turning their focus inward. The stress of deadlines leads us to complaining and making excuses about why the students are not engaged. We fall into what I call the, "should be" mentality. We attempt to teach the students they way that is most convenient for us. We make comments like, "I have gone over and over this, they should have it by now." The cycle of frustration continues and negativity begins to creep in. Sound familiar? If this is you don't worry. Many great educators have fallen into this cycle. Students can also fall into the "should be" mentality. When the teacher is self focused connections with the students are often lacking. This leads to a decrease of rigor and engagement. If the teacher is constantly pushing at the student, the student will naturally push back. It is human nature. Students begin to withdraw and fail to meet the standards set by the teacher. The students see themselves as failures. They are not living up to the ideal someone has pushed on them of who they should be. None of these attitudes are good for education. If you are experiencing any of this, there is still hope. I would suggest you follow Dr. Tim's advice and change the way you look at things.
Teachers, it is time to shift our focus towards the students and away from ourselves. Sometimes what is the easiest for the teacher is not the best thing for the student. When teachers remind themselves to shift their focus away from themselves to what the students need our outlook begins to change. Instead of pushing the students into what we feel they should be, we need to look at what they could be. What is the hidden strength or talent in that student? Where can we promote creativity and allow that student to express themselves and achieve at a level they never dreamed possible? Positive professional relationships are the key to this change in focus. It is important for a teacher to get to know their students. When a teacher can build a relationship with a student they develop a level of trust. This foundation of trust can be used to lead students to new levels of mastery and increase student engagement. Students are far more likely to stay engaged in a lesson if they trust the teacher. If they feel that the teacher has their best interest in mind they are more likely to follow. When a teacher makes the simple switch of looking at what a student could be and instead of what they should be they empower the student. Suddenly that student feels they are special; that are convinced that they can achieve new things because someone believes in them. Their possibilities matter beyond preset labels someone has placed on them. They will take risks without fear. They will actively engage.
Change the way you look at your students. Move your focus away from you and to the students. Focus on the things the students could be, instead of pushing onto them all of the things they should be. If you do this the students will change.
We all have dreamed of that ideal classroom. We are standing in the front of the room pouring out knowledge to the students, and they are hanging on our every word. They are excited to be in the room everyday and they chant our name as we walk down the hall. Reality is often a much different picture. Educators are under a lot of stress. We are overloaded, under paid, and constantly worried by our students hitting bench marks all while losing more and more instructional time to standardized testing. Many educators also fall into the trap of turning their focus inward. The stress of deadlines leads us to complaining and making excuses about why the students are not engaged. We fall into what I call the, "should be" mentality. We attempt to teach the students they way that is most convenient for us. We make comments like, "I have gone over and over this, they should have it by now." The cycle of frustration continues and negativity begins to creep in. Sound familiar? If this is you don't worry. Many great educators have fallen into this cycle. Students can also fall into the "should be" mentality. When the teacher is self focused connections with the students are often lacking. This leads to a decrease of rigor and engagement. If the teacher is constantly pushing at the student, the student will naturally push back. It is human nature. Students begin to withdraw and fail to meet the standards set by the teacher. The students see themselves as failures. They are not living up to the ideal someone has pushed on them of who they should be. None of these attitudes are good for education. If you are experiencing any of this, there is still hope. I would suggest you follow Dr. Tim's advice and change the way you look at things.
Teachers, it is time to shift our focus towards the students and away from ourselves. Sometimes what is the easiest for the teacher is not the best thing for the student. When teachers remind themselves to shift their focus away from themselves to what the students need our outlook begins to change. Instead of pushing the students into what we feel they should be, we need to look at what they could be. What is the hidden strength or talent in that student? Where can we promote creativity and allow that student to express themselves and achieve at a level they never dreamed possible? Positive professional relationships are the key to this change in focus. It is important for a teacher to get to know their students. When a teacher can build a relationship with a student they develop a level of trust. This foundation of trust can be used to lead students to new levels of mastery and increase student engagement. Students are far more likely to stay engaged in a lesson if they trust the teacher. If they feel that the teacher has their best interest in mind they are more likely to follow. When a teacher makes the simple switch of looking at what a student could be and instead of what they should be they empower the student. Suddenly that student feels they are special; that are convinced that they can achieve new things because someone believes in them. Their possibilities matter beyond preset labels someone has placed on them. They will take risks without fear. They will actively engage.
Change the way you look at your students. Move your focus away from you and to the students. Focus on the things the students could be, instead of pushing onto them all of the things they should be. If you do this the students will change.