Schooling Isn't a Game to be Won

       Americans love competition.

       We follow sports teams.  We compare our Olympic medal count with those from other countries.  We brag about having faster cars and the newest cell phone, and the whitest teeth.  At times (it seems) everything is a competition; that we are always trying to surpass what our neighbors have or can do.

       This sense of competition (unfortunately) extends into our schools as well.  Our students want to know who got the highest test grade, who takes the most Advanced Placement courses; who got the best report card grades.  We are constantly comparing ourselves to each other.

       When it comes to schooling, I have a statement for our students (and their parents):

       School isn't a soccer game, it isn't the Olympics, and it isn't a Reality Show to be won.  School is about learning.  Some students will excel in some areas, some might excel in all areas (or appear to excel on all areas), and most will probably be average.  The goal for all of these students is to learn.

       The danger of the "competition" aspect of schooling is when students strive for high grades or correct answers by means that don't require a lot of learning.  Some students are good at "playing school"; they do what they need to do to get good grades (such as turning in homework and classwork on time and participating in class), but avoid actual studying and real learning.  They do this because of a misguided notion that the goal of school is getting good grades.  When student compete for "grades", they can miss the most important purpose of schooling which is learning.  In a classroom, this means that they are afraid to try new things or to offer suggestions or ideas for fear of being wrong (and perhaps labeled as "less smart").  This isn't what we want in our schools.

       Learning is a lifelong skill.  School cannot be a place where students merely learn how to do what they are told to do.  School has to be a place where the skill of learning is learned and understood.  A place where students learn how to problem solve and how to ask the right questions and how to access resources that they need.  Students shouldn't have to worry about doing better than other students.  They should only be concerned about learning.

       Let's make our schools a competition-free zone.  After all, there are plenty of other areas in a student's life where they can compete.  School should be one of them.

I Don't Have a Reading Brain

       I don't have a reading brain.  


       I'm 52 years old and I've never been good at reading.  In fact, I'm constantly telling my children that I was never a good reader so that they don't feel so bad about being bad at reading themselves.  They are always saying, "Why do we have to learn to read anyway?" and even though I basically agree with them, I try to think of times when reading is important such as when they get a text from their friends.

       I really don't feel too bad about being a bad reader because just about everyone I know is bad at reading.  In fact, we are always joking about being bad at reading.  My sister-in-law is a middle school English teacher and every time we go to a restaurant we always make her read the menu to us.  We just tell the waitress to hand the menus over to her and most of the time the waitress sort of laughs in agreement and says something like, "I get it.  I'm a terrible reader too."  And we all have a big laugh.

       People who can read must be really smart.  Everyone knows this.  In school, we always knew who the smartest kids were because they were able to read.  When teachers told me to read, I just tried to memorize the facts that I needed to know to answer the questions at the end of the chapter.  That's what I tell my own children to do because I really can't help them with their reading and they know that I can't really read very well anyway.

       High school reading was the worst.  Seriously, how are normal people supposed to memorize all of those words AND their meanings.  It really isn't humanly possible, except for people that have reading brains--I guess.  

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       Does this sound familiar to you?  Are you constantly telling your kids and your friends that you're terrible at reading?  Do you get tense when have to read something?  Do you have reading anxiety?

Who would brag about not being able to read?  Who would ever suggest to their very own children that reading isn't important?  It's absurd.  No adult or parent would openly laugh about not being able to read.

       But, sadly, adults and parents often say these things about mathematics.  Some people actually believe that there is such a thing as a "math brain".  Many people view people who are good at math as being "smart".  And I have often been in a restaurant when my friends and relatives have passed the check to me to figure out the tip--all the while laughing and being very open about their inability to do math.

       What sort of message are we sending to our children when so many adults joke about not being able to do math?  Too many children feel that they are given a "pass" from the adults in their lives to be poor at math.  This leads to a lack of effort in the classroom which leads to a lack of understanding.  Every math teacher has (at some point in their career) said to a parent, "Your child could do so much better in mathematics if he/she put in the effort."

       This is something that we can fix.  This is something that every parent can do to help their child to do better in math.  Stop saying that you were never good at math.  Make sure that your children understand that they can do anything and they can learn anything; but they have to try.  Learning isn't always easy.  No one expects you to "get it" the first time.  It takes effort and mistakes and try, try again.

       Learning reading and mathematics isn't all that different.  The difference is our attitudes toward them.

When You're Learning And You Know It

When you're learning and you know it shout "Hooray".
When you're learning and you know it shout "Hooray".
When you're learning and you know it, then your face will really show it.
When you're learning and you know it shout "Hooray".

       It's a good feeling to learn something.  A good teacher will help students to recognize when they learn something and will praise them for their efforts in the learning process.  But a good teacher won't artificially praise students for little, minor steps or for mindless efforts to complete an assignment.  This sort of artificial recognition, though intended to benefit and encourage children, is not as good as when a teacher helps a child to know that effort and hard work--no matter the outcome--is praiseworthy.

       Sometimes students have a fixed mindset and they don't believe that they are able to learn.  These students need teachers to help them to realize that they are able to learn anything and that their effort will lead to achievement.  Even student with high achievement could have a fixed mindset and these students are less likely to take risks and try new things for fear of losing the title of "smart".  And when they stop trying, they stop learning and they stop growing intellectually.

       So when your students learn something, tell them to shout "Hooray".  Their brains are growing and their future is bright.

Growth Mindset Parents

       I'm not sure if the idea of mindsets has broken out of the field of education and into the general public.  I hope it has.  Imagine if the parents of all of your students had a Growth Mindset and imagine if they helped their children (your students) to have a growth mindset.  That would be truly excellent scenario for any teacher!

       If you are not currently living this this ideal world, what can a teacher do to help her students' parents to understand the value of Growth Mindsets?

       Parents often ask teachers what they can do at home to help their children.  In the middle and high school years, sometimes the parents feel that they are not capable of helping their children because the content is beyond their ability.  This is an opportunity to talk about Growth Mindset with parents.  Here are some Growth Mindset suggestions that any parent can do:

1. Help your child to understand that effort yields results.  Read, study, practice, quiz yourself.  
2. Tell your child that true learning takes time.  You might not "get it" the first time.
3. Make sure your child understands that it is OK to make mistakes.  We all learn from our mistakes.
4. Praise your child for effort; don't praise your child for "being smart".  This seems counterproductive, but kids who are rewarded for "being smart" tend to take less chances for fear of losing the "smart" label.
5. Never, never, never, never tell your child that you were bad at math or science or anything else.  This gives children an excuse for not doing well, and it makes them believe that they have some sort of genetic deformity that predestines them to be bad at these subjects.

       So much of these suggestions go against the idea of "playing school"--looking smart, pretending to learn, memorizing stuff for the test, only caring about grades, and not caring about learning.  We want students to understand the value of hard work.  Learning faster isn't learning better.  It's OK to make mistakes.  When students hear this from their teachers and then hear it again at home, they will believe it.

       Learning isn't a competition.  Students with a fixed mindset toward any particular subject can change to a growth mindset if they have supportive teachers and parents that encourage a growth mindset.

       Learning real does take a village--a Growth Mindset village would be a pretty good place to live!