I visited an old friend in Halifax this past winter break. It had been about 3 years since we last met so we had lots of catching up to do. We were talking about her 12 year old son, and she relayed a pretty powerful story.
Last year, he was having extreme trouble in class. His teacher was convinced that he had a learning disability. he was inattentive in class. He didn't do well on tests. With further investigation, the teacher found that when doing tests he was not reading the questions. Her response was to make an accommodation, and read him the questions, thinking that he had reading trouble.
My friend was perplexed by this. When she checked his reading skill at home she was convinced that there was another explanation. She asked him about the teacher's actions and he said that she was willing to read the questions, so why would he read them? My friend was dumbstruck. It was a case of a student doing as little work as possible to get by. He could read well, but knew if he didn't he wouldn't be called on his laziness. There were no repercussions for his lack of effort.
This year, the boy's teacher is rather authoritative and her son has never gotten better grades. If there is a piece of loose foolscap, it will be binned. No homework? No excuses. Agenda blank? It is your fault. You got an A? You know you earned it and the teacher is proud. Students are 100% accountable for their successes and failures. My friend noticed that her son has a healthy fear of his teacher, that he strives to please him and excel in the class. She feels this year has redeemed him and that he may stand a chance in junior next year, whereas last year, she was sure he was getting lost in excuses and unnecessary accommodations.
"You need to be a teacher like that! Reading is necessary - if you don't read the question, you fail the test!"
No comments:
Post a Comment