Part 1: Kids Do Well

Kids do well if they can. Kids do well if they want to. It was interesting hearing his perspective on these two statements. A lot of the time teachers say kids will do well if they want to and it comes down to no goals or no motivation. Some students in my class I can give out how many rewards and goals and incentives and it does nothing for them because at home their experience is different. At home they aren't getting the praise they want and need. They aren't getting the support they need.

Very interesting video clip which made me really think about some of my students.  I agree with what Dr. Greene had to say.  It is not about a kid that will do well if they wanna, but more about a kid that will do well if they can.  I have worked with kids who are incredibly motivated, but don't have the support at home.  I have also worked with kids who are motivated to improve their speech but are impacted by physical issues and parents can't afford to look into orthodontics, ENT, etc.  It's not always about finding the motivator for a kid but sometimes it is looking at the situation/ environment that they are coming from.  If you go in with the mindset that we are all just doing our best with what we have been dealt with and/or are dealing with in life, you can show someone some compassion and don't we all deserve that?    

If they wanna.... In my position last year, it was chaos! Admin would always have meetings, if you dangle this carrot, if you dangle that carrot, they will wanna.....
I thought this was horrible! If they attend all week, they can do this, if they have a good day and do their work, they can...if they do x, y and z, they can attend the dance, play basketball. But the kids never wanted to wanna for that carrot, and most times, the carrot was given anyway. I think what he says is so true, yet not many follow this reasoning. There are other reasons they can't or don't want to and reasons you may not know as to why they can't or don't want to succeed. If everyone on the team is not on the same page, that carrot will dangle until it rots!

I liked Dr. Greene's distinction between "Kids do well if they can" and "Kids do well if they want to". I agree with him that if students can do well they will but so many students have extenuating circumstances that don't let them succeed. Asking "Who is this kid" and trying to contextualize their academic performance and behavior in terms of their life. I try to help solve problems with students and see what kind of teaching style works with them.

I think I realized that students do well if they can... I never thought of that before because a lot of us think about whether they "want" to do something. He opened my eyes to this and the contrast between them. Our goal is to make sure students are working to their best of their ability... Not wanting to do something is simply "wrong." We as teachers need to teach kids that there is no kid who would not want to do well and succeed. But that does not come to every kid... we need to model this behavior and make sure students know what we do matters in the classroom. We all need to figure out what is getting in our students way and collaborate to find solutions rather than simply complaining and not doing anything about it. 

I believe it is always the case that kids always want to do well. When they aren't doing their best, it's because there is something getting in their way that is preventing them from doing so. Figuring out what is stopping them is the key but it is sometimes very hard to figure out. Sometimes (rarely) it is simple. Maybe they don't know how to get started or lack confidence. A little help and encouragement can get them on their way. Sometimes the problem is much bigger and multifaceted and much harder to figure out.

WOW!! How true is that. Too often we stereotype kids, put labels on them, want them to behave a certain way, want them to go the path of least resistance, want them to just go with the flow.  I may have been guilty of that way of thinking a time or two myself.
KIDS DO WELL IF THEY CAN!!!!!!
Let's think about this statement for a minute. Dr. Greene is onto something here. This is actually a true statement. 
I believe children naturally want to do well. I see this in my 6 year old granddaughter. She is always eager to please, to do well. It comes naturally. Sometimes outward circumstances change kids and they develop behavior patterns in order to just simply survive. 

 I've often used the "Kids Do Well if They Can" Philosophy. Occasionally I've used the " They don't Want to" Philosophy but its often turns into then not really being able to do the task. Sometimes kids don't know have to express themselves or ask for help .Good to evaluate their strengths and then figure out the underlying reason they may not be able to do a certain task. What is getting in the way or holding them back from learning? Could be something like no encouragement from home or feelings in inadequacy. Sometimes emotions tend to get in the way of learning or they need to be shown different tools like pictures for examples rather than words.

I have read Dr. Green's book "Lost and Found"  and have starting using the mindset of "Kids do well if they can."  I has been very helpful in dealing with my most challenging students. 
Kids are eager to please, and will do their best to please you as a parent, as a teacher.  When you use the mindset of "they do well if they want to"  you are assuming that they are just being disrespectful, rude, disruptive ect.  
By changing the mindset you are changing the approach in a more positive way.  This also enables the student to become part of the solution and helps them grow both intelecutally and emotionally.

I agree that if a kid can do well then they will. There are many obstacles that the kid may be going through that is getting in the way for them to do well. Some kids don't show their struggles as strongly as others. If a kid wants to do well they will try their best. In higher age/grade levels they may stay after school for extra help.

Dr. Greene spoke about having a philosophy.  This philosophy will guide our actions when the going gets tough.  We should be asking "Who is this kid?" and "What are they up to?"  He believes that kids do well if we can.  If they are not doing well, something must be in their way.   Our job is to figure out what that is.  This can be done by collaborative problem solving which would become our philosophy.  

The kids do well if they can vs if they want to, to me is based off how well we as teachers can reach our students and find a way that they can learn that works for them. While giving them everything they need to be successful. If we go with the "if they wanna" mentality then they will not grow as students. It gives them an option of not doing work or learning. "If they can," we are helping them break through barriers to achieve a certain standard.