Part 1: Kids Do Well

To be honest, I find this guy pretty pompous and I was left wondering if he was ever truly in the classroom.  I agree that the MAJORITY of students do well if they can.  But he mentions that we, as teachers are responsible for finding what is getting in the way.  While being a poor reader, not knowing how to study effectively, having trouble with the material is within my scope of practice, there are some mental health issues that are way above my pay grade.  Believe me, I work hard to figure out strategies with my students who may have mild anxiety or other mental health struggles.  But the number of kids that have severe mental health issues is growing exponentially.  Yet, every year the teachers are "trained" on dealing with trauma and feel like we are expected to perform miracles.  Yes, I believe that under perfect circumstances, these students would learn if they could, but at what point is someone going to realize that teachers are not trained in dealing with kids who cut, attempt suicide, have extreme social anxiety, or a depressed?  

Dr. Greene suggests a philosophy that "kids do well if they can" vs the common idea that "kids do well if they want to". Although these philosophies sound similar they are very different. If you buy into this philosophy that kids want to do well and you have a student that isn't succeeding, your effort goes into trying to inspire that kid to want to do well, you run the risk of making matters worse because chances are, that child DOES want to do well. In contrast, if you buy into the philosophy that kids do well if they can and you discover a student that is struggling, you ask yourself what is getting in the way of this student and how can I help them overcome this barrier. This causes you to figure out what is getting in the way of this child's learning.

I enjoyed Dr. Green's reflection on kids, "doing well if they wanna" and how he highlighted the danger of making assumptions about why certain students, "don't wanna." Dr. Green states that, "If a kid could do well, he would do well" and that a kid may be facing adversity or hardship. I agree with Dr. Green, but I also think there needs to be a larger discussion about what exactly it means to "do well." Dr. Green throws the phrase, "do well" around several times, but, I'd argue the word "well" should be taken subjectively as we must meet kids where they're at. Success looks different for everyone. 

I appreciate that Dr. Ross Greene acknowledges that incentive programs have their faults. His work reminds me of a training where behaviors were “re-storied” to figure out why behaviors were happening. By addressing what is stopping a student from “can” you can better differentiate their work. Many of these supports help different learners access their learning. That internal motivation of being successful is the best incentive for a student.

Listening to Dr. Greene reminds me of recent initiatives in education to move students towards a growth mindset.  The districts that I have done this in have approached the idea in a variety of ways, but what has always stayed the same is this underpinning idea that kids are able to do better and that we should help them to realize that.  A similar idea is present in “kids do well if they can” but the script is flipped so that it applies to the teachers.  I think that I have fallen into both mindsets as a teacher, especially following Covid.  If I am being honest with myself, I have to wonder if some “wanna” doesn’t apply in our current educational landscape.  I myself felt a lack of “wanna” during lockdown and know that many students felt the same way.  I feel like this mindset has been leaking back into education now that we are in person.  I definitely need to consider the “can” side of matters and figure out what the obstacle is beneath all of these challenges. 

I have seen this video multiple times and every time I watch it, it reminds me of the importance of trying to figure out what is getting in the student’s way of learning. Whether it be a rough morning at home and they forgot their homework, or something more severe that they have a tough time talking about it. The one thing that always comes to mind is the importance of building relationships with the students in the classroom from day one, allowing them to know and understand that they can trust you, come to you and talk about anything is important. Some students it defiantly takes more time and effort, but when it does happen it is worth it! I believe that all students are capable of learning and being successful, the ones who appear “lazy” or unmotivated” are often the ones who have seen and dealt with more than I could ever imagine, those are the ones who need the extra, gentle push to show that they can overcome the challenges they face and become successful.

I loved this video clip - very inspiring.  I do think that many teachers in my school, myself included, have found ourselves with the "kids do well if they wanna" mentality - trying tirelessly to make them wanna learn, when in reality there are kids in front of us who already want to and we're wasting our time!  We need to focus on helping alleviate what gets in the way of kids who "will do well if they can" but have obstacles in their way.  Most of our students do have struggles in their way and if we help remove them, they could thrive.

I would be remiss not to agree with the message of this discussion. As an art teacher, this is an ongoing obstacle in student education. Most students will walk into art with the mindset that they will not succeed as a default. Creating a classroom environment that understands that I will always provide all of the tools needed to be successful, is important to me. To the extent that it is a phrase that I will repeat at the beginning of every project, whenever we introduce a new skill or a new art material. 

I am a special education provider in an integrated co-teaching environment. Naturally, I encounter students who struggle-that's why they have and IEP. Half the battle isn't that they "don't want to" per se, but they don't believe they can. It can be difficult for them to realize their potential, but chances are once you show them something that is on their level, they become much more motivated to take charge of their learning. My philosophy lies in the "can-do" arena, but my challenge is to make the content accessible (most of my students have very limited literacy.) Being honest with them and giving them positive words of encouragement are my biggest professional assets.

The idea that "kids do well if they can"  makes complete sense.  In my experience as a teacher, I have seen dozens of kids who had obstacles in their lives that caused them to be 'unable' to do well.  The quote, "it takes a village to raise a child", is true.  In order for kids to do well, they have to be given the tools to do so.  If that is not happening at home, school needs to step in.  The is especially true in the world today during the pandemic.  More kids than ever need extra help in order to be successful.  

The idea presented by Dr. Greene of "Kids doing well if they can" is relatable. Kids really do want to do well in school however some students have obstacles preventing them from doing well. It's important to recognize the obstacles and then as an educator incorporate ways to help them do well. Students are individuals and should not be lumped into a one size fits all learning approach.