Beating the Odds

I recently attended a fundraiser at a racetrack, and it was my first time watching a live horse race. As I sat in the crowd, I was intrigued by the jockey’s approach in each race. One race, in particular, required the horses to circle one full lap around the track. At the start of the race, the fans all rose to their feet in order to cheer on their favorite horse; however, I kept a close watch on the horse that started off the slowest from the starting line. He was the horse I was cheering for, as I always love when the underdog wins.

As the horses approached the first turn, this particular horse was multiple strides behind the pack. As the jockey and horse rounded the first corner, they inched closer to the next opponent. By the time they were halfway around the track, they had passed up three other horses. I felt a glimmer of hope for this horse as he continued to pass more and more opponents. Around the next corner, the horse and jockey were in the top three, trailing the two horses that had been in the lead since the beginning of the race. As they flew closer and closer to the finish line, the horse and jockey passed up the horse in second and caught up to the leading horse and jockey. As they approached the finish line, the horse and jockey, who took the slow and steady approach, were triumphant.The crowd was shocked as the underdog beat the odds and won the race.

The slow and steady approach taken by the jockey and horse allowed them to conserve energy, assess the situation, and gradually improve as they continued around the track. At their own pace, the horse and jockey attained success. As with the racetrack, it is important to emphasize the slow and steady approach in our classrooms.  Teachers tend to push through lessons quickly in order to get through all aspects of a jam-packed curriculum. In addition, our students are constantly looking for quick ways to complete activities and homework. While it is important to be efficient, are teaching and learning as effective if teachers and students continuously race towards the finish line without taking a breath for air? Is the process as memorable if we race through the motions?

Instead, it may be beneficial at times to take the slow and steady approach towards teaching and learning in order to get the best results. Why should we force ourselves or our students to be the leaders of the pack? Instead, teachers should take the most impacting approach in order to provide a productive classroom environment; students should take the most beneficial approach in order to master the material and grow as learners.

Everyone doesn't run at the same pace; however, once teachers and students cross the finish line, they have beat the odds.

Breaking Free

Analyze, summarize, research, explain, connect, support….All words that I use tirelessly in my classroom when teaching writing to a group of high school students. As I enter the last month of the school year, it is clear that my students know how to organize their writing in order to support an argument. I taught them how to do this, and I reviewed it over and over again. What is interesting to me is that while they can format and organize their writing effectively, they struggle to complete writing tasks that lack specific and direct instructions for their thoughts. In short, my students struggle to find their own voice – through writing – simply because the rules of writing have been drilled into their head year after year.

Of course, students do need to be taught how to organize their thoughts, focus their ideas, include evidence, make connections, and draw conclusions in writing; however, when should teachers take a step back and allow students to find their own voice, through written expression?

Students become emotionally charged from literature, class discussions, school issues, and worldly events. Teachers do allow them to share these emotions during class discussions and activities, but if we continuously teach and force them to analyze, summarize, research, explain, connect, and support while writing, how can we expect them to demonstrate their own thoughts and conclusions through written expression? How can we expect them to truly improve their writing skills? If we always feed our students a criteria for writing and do not let them share their writing with others, we are limiting their potential and restricting their voice.

Why not let the students write about what they want from time to time? Why not let the students organize their writing and share their thoughts with the world? Yes, I need to teach my students how to write; however, after instruction, I need to lift the restrictions and allow my students to set their own writing parameters.

If we want our students to invest in the subject matter and grow as writers, why not set them free?