Excellence in Education: Helping Students Learn About Their Own Motivations
I was a borderline student--at best--in middle school. My grades ranged from D's to A's with the A's coming in electives and social studies classes. I struggled emotionally and behaviorally. My mother's attempts to help me fell flat, and may have actually worsened my self-esteem (I hope she's not reading this).
I don't remember many of middle school teachers trying to help me. When they did talk to me it was about my actions and usually it was negatively framed. What are you doing? Are you working to your fullest? Is this your BEST effort?
After a tumultuous middle school experience, my parents sent me to boarding school. While my grades improved dramatically during my freshman year, I attribute that to easy classes, a structured environment, and no social life. It wasn't until my sophomore year, that I had a teacher who made me feel like I WAS IMPORTANT. Mr. Beck, who was both my dorm parent and social studies teacher, asked questions that made me feel valued. What do you want to be? What and who inspires you?
I knew I had someone on my side, but also someone who was going to hold me accountable. When I complained to him about a teacher's grade, I remember him challenging me, Are you being the person you want to be? You talk about being admired for working hard, but are you working to your fullest?
Although I hesitated, because I respected him and trusted him, I told him the truth. He continuously held me accountable for my actions. Do you really want to be successful or do you just want it when it's easy? Today, we'd refer to Mr. Beck as a warm demander.
Like many students, I allowed my relationships with teachers to impact my effort and grades. I acted like the student and person I wanted to be for the teachers I liked, and I allowed myself to put forth a lesser effort in my other classes where I wasn't the person I wanted to be. Like most teenagers, my success was at least partially driven by my sense of belonging and trust.
I was fortunate that my parents had the wherewithal to send me to boarding school, but more integral to my success was how Mr. Beck helped me learn about myself, my motivations, and my locus of control. I often wonder what would have happened to me if I continued down my middle school path. Would I have been identified as an academic failure? Would I have been pushed towards a non-college tract? Would I have been in a perpetual cycle of failure? I became an educator because I believe every student deserves a teacher who believes in them and the opportunity that affords.
8 Ways to Help Students Learn About Their Own Motivations
I don't remember many of middle school teachers trying to help me. When they did talk to me it was about my actions and usually it was negatively framed. What are you doing? Are you working to your fullest? Is this your BEST effort?
After a tumultuous middle school experience, my parents sent me to boarding school. While my grades improved dramatically during my freshman year, I attribute that to easy classes, a structured environment, and no social life. It wasn't until my sophomore year, that I had a teacher who made me feel like I WAS IMPORTANT. Mr. Beck, who was both my dorm parent and social studies teacher, asked questions that made me feel valued. What do you want to be? What and who inspires you?
I knew I had someone on my side, but also someone who was going to hold me accountable. When I complained to him about a teacher's grade, I remember him challenging me, Are you being the person you want to be? You talk about being admired for working hard, but are you working to your fullest?
Although I hesitated, because I respected him and trusted him, I told him the truth. He continuously held me accountable for my actions. Do you really want to be successful or do you just want it when it's easy? Today, we'd refer to Mr. Beck as a warm demander.
Like many students, I allowed my relationships with teachers to impact my effort and grades. I acted like the student and person I wanted to be for the teachers I liked, and I allowed myself to put forth a lesser effort in my other classes where I wasn't the person I wanted to be. Like most teenagers, my success was at least partially driven by my sense of belonging and trust.
I was fortunate that my parents had the wherewithal to send me to boarding school, but more integral to my success was how Mr. Beck helped me learn about myself, my motivations, and my locus of control. I often wonder what would have happened to me if I continued down my middle school path. Would I have been identified as an academic failure? Would I have been pushed towards a non-college tract? Would I have been in a perpetual cycle of failure? I became an educator because I believe every student deserves a teacher who believes in them and the opportunity that affords.
8 Ways to Help Students Learn About Their Own Motivations
- Give students power and control within your class and over their success. Don't strive for compliance.
- Strive to create a sense of community and belonging in your class through cooperative and self-directed learning.
- Include behavioral learning objectives and skills as part of your learning targets.
- Have students reflect and evaluate their progress in both academic and non-academic matters.
- Give students choices that enable them to demonstrate high learning expectations.
- Provide students with structure in the classroom with purposeful breaks. This goes beyond, You have five minutes to go to the bathroom and check your phones. Instead, explore ways to use mindfulness, physical movement and peer interaction.
- Remain positive and upbeat even when students are challenging you the most.
- Like Mr. Beck did with me, help students focus on who they want to be, not who they are.
Tuesday, January 21: Teacher Work Day
Wednesday, January 22: Turn in EXAMS for students who haven't completed We will be sending communication out to these students and families with instructions to plan for a make-up exam next Wednesday January 22nd and Thursday January 23rd. Students with an excused absence to a midterm will be provided with the opportunity to complete their exam(s) during the school day in the forum under supervision. Students with an unexcused absence to a midterm will be provided with the opportunity to complete their exams during after school from 4-5:30pm.
In an effort to lessen the burden of retakes, a
substitute will be monitoring all exams in the forum throughout the day; please
consider allowing those with excused absences the opportunity to make up your
exam during class time. Please bring up any exams and or directions, with the
students name clearly written at the top, to Ms. Jackson in the main office by
4pm. Thank you for an outstanding 2nd quarter.
Hope you have a great day, and wonderful
weekend.
Friday, January 24: Class Meetings During Mustang Morning
Club Sponsors: If you would be so kind to check this to see if your club is accurately reflected on this spreadsheet. We've had many new club changes, so we want to make sure we have an accurate list and locations for next week. Please email Reed and Corey with any changes or update it yourself.
January 24: Schoology Survey , Grades Due, Special Education Progress Reports due https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_a03rfc85GiZ8i_Q_PsjlJxspkuaktWIoIKWWCjvEJ0/edit?usp=sharing
If you have not contacted a student with a D/F family (see below), please do so. Please also be sure to request D/F students for Mustang Morning.
- Per interim period
- Assign student to Mustang Morning.
- Discuss action steps in PLCs.
- Communicate with case managers, if applicable.
- Student has a D: Contact family via email or phone call.
- Student has an F: Contact family via phone call.
- Marking period:
- In addition to A-C, speak to any parent of a student with an F who you have not yet contacted.
- Communicate with student’s school counselor
Intent to return. Intent 2020. Please complete by 2/21/20.
Field Trips
Birthdays
January 20: Jennifer Turner-Warren
January 20: Jennifer Turner-Warren
Useful Information
Seeking volunteers? ACPS is attempting to expand volunteer outreach and help teachers find volunteers. Here’s a form that takes a minute to complete.
Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm
Want something included on the Monticello Outlook Calendar, the Monticello website, in the PowerSchool Daily Bulletin, schoolwide Schoology accounts, or the student newsletter (viewed by parents, students and staff)? Please use this link https://goo.gl/forms/bIjfJLKokWPcEHx33
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