Emails
The following email exchanges with students Marcus and Allen were influencing factors in my initial interest in this inquiry. Marcus's exchange, while an attempt at communication, demonstrated a certain disconnect between his performance in class and his goal of achieving good grades so that he could continue to play sports. He wanted to do well, but only reached out to me at the very end of the quarter when his back was up against the wall. When he did reach out it was electronically rather than in person, and the emails he sent were abrupt to the point of being rude. Ultimately I met with him in person to discuss not only his performance in class and his resulting grade but also how he could better communicate with me and other figures of authority in the future.
These emails and the in-person conversation emphasized for me the importance of one-on-one communication and the frightening realization that Marcus was actually one of his class's better communicators. While Marcus was bold enough to approach me on his own to get his needs met, many students are not willing to do this. Some are too shy. Some might not be motivated enough. Some may simply not think it's an option. This means that it's up to me to approach them.
My exchange with Marcus is a good example of the many benefits to engaging in personalized one-on-one interactions with my students. Such exchanges reveal needs that you would not otherwise be aware of; in this instance the need was a mini-lesson in how to communicate professionally with figures of authority. These exchanges deepen the student-teacher relationship and for this reason can be empowering for both the student and the teacher. There is a certain level of added humanity present in a one-on-one conversation that is not always there when the teacher is managing a classroom of 33 students.
These emails and the in-person conversation emphasized for me the importance of one-on-one communication and the frightening realization that Marcus was actually one of his class's better communicators. While Marcus was bold enough to approach me on his own to get his needs met, many students are not willing to do this. Some are too shy. Some might not be motivated enough. Some may simply not think it's an option. This means that it's up to me to approach them.
My exchange with Marcus is a good example of the many benefits to engaging in personalized one-on-one interactions with my students. Such exchanges reveal needs that you would not otherwise be aware of; in this instance the need was a mini-lesson in how to communicate professionally with figures of authority. These exchanges deepen the student-teacher relationship and for this reason can be empowering for both the student and the teacher. There is a certain level of added humanity present in a one-on-one conversation that is not always there when the teacher is managing a classroom of 33 students.
Allen approached me for a very similar purpose; he needed to bring his grade up so that he could continue to play sports. However, in Allen's situation, it was not the first time he had communicated with me about making up assignments. We had been talking regularly for the previous month about how he could get his grade up, and this is the reason why he had a D and not an F.
The fact that our one-on-one interactions ultimately helped get Allen to a passing grade gives me hope. Together we have succeeded at getting him more responsible for turning work in. However, in taking a look at the quality of the work he's turning in, you can see that there is still a way to go. The assignment he submitted is rushed. Ideas are not fully explained. He makes mention of Romeo and Juliet for an unknown reason in his analysis. Perhaps they appeared in an earlier draft of the poem and then were cut out?
Also, in his second email he says, "Is there any way you can help me out just this one time?" as if I have not helped him out any other times. He does not seem to acknowledge that my job consists of attempting to help him every single day. Is this disconnect common among my failing or near-failing students? If so, it is my hope to find ways to remedy that situation via my inquiry project.
As far as my part of this email communication goes, I wonder if I should have written more than the small paragraph I sent. I answered Allen's request fully, but I did nothing to address any of my above concerns. I've heard it said that a good interviewee doesn't answer the question he was asked but rather the question he wishes he was asked. Perhaps this same strategy can be applied to using student requests as teachable moments. I must confess that I allow myself to get a little frustrated by emails like this. I have to remind myself that what is logical and reasonable for me (such as getting and completing make-up work immediately upon returning from an absence) is not necessarily a top priority for all students. Instead I have to find out what is a priority. In Allen's case, it is basketball. Working with these priorities as motivators is likely to be a more successful endeavor than simply wishing my students shared my values and becoming frustrated when they don't.
My experiences with both of these boys made me want to find ways to continually communicate with poorly performing students so that they are continually aware of both the need for improvement and specific ways in which to improve. Both of these boys were, however, already extrinsically motivated to perform. With this inquiry project, I went a step further to find students whose motivations were less apparent and who had not thus far taken any efforts to reach out to me in order to improve. I sought to find out what motivates those students who are easier to overlook.
The fact that our one-on-one interactions ultimately helped get Allen to a passing grade gives me hope. Together we have succeeded at getting him more responsible for turning work in. However, in taking a look at the quality of the work he's turning in, you can see that there is still a way to go. The assignment he submitted is rushed. Ideas are not fully explained. He makes mention of Romeo and Juliet for an unknown reason in his analysis. Perhaps they appeared in an earlier draft of the poem and then were cut out?
Also, in his second email he says, "Is there any way you can help me out just this one time?" as if I have not helped him out any other times. He does not seem to acknowledge that my job consists of attempting to help him every single day. Is this disconnect common among my failing or near-failing students? If so, it is my hope to find ways to remedy that situation via my inquiry project.
As far as my part of this email communication goes, I wonder if I should have written more than the small paragraph I sent. I answered Allen's request fully, but I did nothing to address any of my above concerns. I've heard it said that a good interviewee doesn't answer the question he was asked but rather the question he wishes he was asked. Perhaps this same strategy can be applied to using student requests as teachable moments. I must confess that I allow myself to get a little frustrated by emails like this. I have to remind myself that what is logical and reasonable for me (such as getting and completing make-up work immediately upon returning from an absence) is not necessarily a top priority for all students. Instead I have to find out what is a priority. In Allen's case, it is basketball. Working with these priorities as motivators is likely to be a more successful endeavor than simply wishing my students shared my values and becoming frustrated when they don't.
My experiences with both of these boys made me want to find ways to continually communicate with poorly performing students so that they are continually aware of both the need for improvement and specific ways in which to improve. Both of these boys were, however, already extrinsically motivated to perform. With this inquiry project, I went a step further to find students whose motivations were less apparent and who had not thus far taken any efforts to reach out to me in order to improve. I sought to find out what motivates those students who are easier to overlook.