Week 2-2 Peer Comment

Image courtesy of Jennifer Geiger

Jennifer posted:

So I'm a little more open to this and I'm going to try to live into it starting with my husband.  I already know that when I fight with him, I assume the worst.  Really.  I assume he's being a jerk, when really, he didn't realize what I would have wanted him to.  So, I shared this with him and told him I'm going to look at a card with reminders written on it like, "Rob is not your enemy; he loves you and is trying to contribute.  Give him an A."  So things are still going to happen, not according to my little precious plan or whatnot but my disappointment in him will be gone/ lessened.  I will treat him as my partner (or try to because I am less than perfect!)

I also need to think more about using this in my classroom.  I need to read on, to see how this really works with students.  I don't want asinine or lazy behavior because everyone has an A now.  I need to work on my semantics of delivery of the message.  How can I lead them to see that getting the A means working hard and even taking some risks is what gets an A.  I can see I am starting to sound like the measurement world again.  I stopped myself short of pondering a contract: "behavior for an A."  But I am trying still not not be too fantasy-minded!  Can ninth graders (who I hear are a handful from the teachers in the previous grade) respond to this and live into the A?!?

PS Is anyone else giggling like a lunatic over the irony of these ideas juxtaposed over the very popular and very dangerous world of measurement in teaching right now???  "Of course I'm a failure as a teacher if my students are not all passing the state test!!!  Even one child left behind is unthinkable!  Fire me!!!"  compared to, "What are you measuring anyway?  How can you reliably measure engagement and bright eyes?!?"

Posted by Jennifer Geiger at 10:22 PM

http://wittlesandwords.blogspot.com/

My response:

Jennifer!

What a great post! Reading and laughing at the same time is a great moment!  I share your concerns about how this will work in the classroom.

Is this something that will produce results or something I will abandon the first week of school? I don't know...the jury is still out! I, like you, want my students to invest in their education and get the marvelous results we all desire.  I want my students to love school like I did, but I wonder if that is a pipe dream in this day and age. I guess I will read on, too!