Chameleons I. Assimilation Color Code- Teacher vs. Learners
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school” Albert Einstein
Chapter 7 Perseverance
When I think about the work I do, I see it partially as one that helps children grow up to be hirable and desirable employees, hence contributing members of the society, anywhere they go. In recent years, however, that work has become more and more taxing because children are showing up at the school gate unmotivated, fragile, and lacking stamina. They jump into problems without reading directions (including some of my brightest students), get discouraged at the first sign of difficulty, refuse to think creatively (teacher, just feed me the knowledge and be done with it…), all in the name of everything “being too hard”. Therefore, before I can introduce the curriculum and each subject matter, I must first teach perseverance. Some of my first lessons to
students would be how to face “bad times” and how to be solution-oriented rather than problem-dwelling .
One issue we have noticed with the kids, as the years went by, they lacked perseverance more and more. The new Mathematics Common Core State Standards adopted in 2013 actually has one single standard designated all to “perseverance”, under Mathematical Practices, standard 1. It is a matter of finding ways to solve a problem and looking for the solution with multiple models. This is a skill that even some of our gifted students are missing. Most students are satisfied when they have learned one way of solving a math problem- which, normally, is none but standard algorithm.
Let’s Get Physical We are building a generation of future work force who must problem solve and persevere even when a clear answer is nowhere in sight. This particular skill (or insufficient of it) is heavily due to students’ deficiency in regular physical activities. Fewer of today’s children are asked to exercise, do chores, or even play in the backyard the way they did 20 years ago. One day, a fifth grader in my room spilled some juice on a stack of tests that were resting on my desk. He ran to me and announced his mishap. I turned and asked, “Do you NOT know what to do with that problem, and you took time to run to ME instead of taking care of the situation?” He looked decidedly confused and said, “I don’t know what to do… I am so sorry that I ruined the tests…” I invited the child to come to the sink area and grabbed some paper towels with me. We
walked back to the crime scene. I said matter- of- fact-ly, “All you need to do is to wipe up the juice that was spilled.” It was his next response that totally shocked me to the core. “How do you wipe up the juice?” He said as he held the paper towels by the corner and swung the opposite corner over the spill. I then realized why this child was always lethargic, always the first to give up and say, “I don’t get it, I give up!” and always the first one to question, “Why do we have to do this?” He lacked energy and the ability to problem- solve. Later it was confirmed by him that he had no chores or responsibilities at home. I needed to get him on track, fast.
Naturally, I had my aide help this child learn how to mop a table and wipe down an area of mess. This took but five minutes. But the real lesson began when I imposed morning Physical Education (PE) time regularly (okay, daily) for all students. With regular physical activity, our body natural produces more dopamine, a chemical that is responsible for helping us with perseverance (The Neuroscience of Perseverance, 2011). During the first two months. Students complained endlessly. With each complaint, I increased the amount of time doing PE (the required time by the state was about 100 minutes per week). By the third month, students began pleading if they could do PE, they started to enjoy the process and even smiled a little when they ran pass me. After the new year, they were asking to do a variety of PE games and also wanting to know if I could increase the intensity of the activities. With the increased physical activity, students complained less, they took time to think while learning a new concept, and most importantly, they were able to push through when a question became too difficult. Yes, they needed reminders that they were capable, that
they had the tools to find solutions, but they were able to persevere without giving up during the first two minutes.
Be a Problem-Solver, Not a Problem-Dweller In life, there are obstacles that come in forms of people and circumstances. When we teach students the skill to persevere, they gain the gift of opening up possibilities for themselves. When we teach them that they are too good to give up, that they are able and capable, students take that extra effort to get to the bottom of things. When we show them the consequences of giving up, they see that they can try a bit harder.
But before they can persevere, they must first know the situation with which to persevere. If you want the child to mop up the table until it is clean, you must make sure the child knows how to mop things up. If the expectation is to problem-solve, we must provide a protected (notice, not “protective�, two very different concept when it comes to teaching) environment that is complete with challenges, problems, and sometimes even well-designed chaos in which students can safely be trainees of perseverance and overcomers of failures without fear of rejection or inadequacy.
As a teacher, I am all no-nonsense. I tell it as it is and do not sugarcoat situations for my students. For example, when a child fails to find common denominator after the initial lessons, there is something wrong. I ask the student clarifying questions to check for areas of need. Student will be required to repeat back
to me what I just said. If the child is struggling because he/she does not comprehend, I stay with the child and give gradually more difficult problems for the child to do until he/she reaches proficiency. If the cause was due to the child’s not paying attention, I immediately point out the problem and ask the child to write a five paragraph essay, as homework, to detail how he/she intents to fix the inattentiveness issue. Paragraph one is to identify the issue; paragraph two will be to devise a plan to make the situation better; three is to admit the student is lacking; four is to give me, the teacher, suggestion on how to better assist him/her; and finally wrap up the essay. Before I started this strategy, students would frequently point to someone or something outside of themselves to blame. I insisted that they start their writing with the word “I”, so to compel them to focus on themselves and what they could do to improve the situation.
Of course, there are too many things in the universe to teach to students during the limited time that we have with them. For daily tasks such as keeping desk areas clean and work stations free of debris, I allow students one mistake after I have shown the entire class how to carry out the task. Students who continue to have difficulties will stay at recess or lunch to be trained. I train through play. School tasks such as reading for directions, helping classmates, working as a team, or keeping personal items organized are all repeatedly modeled and demonstrated until the whole group is able to carry out the tasks consistently without intervention. Extraordinarily proficient students will be singled out to receive Homework Passes or “Get out of Jail” Cards. Students who struggle will be given partners to guide them through the process. Whining and bickering is prohibited. When there is a problem, the whole
group works it out together to find solutions. Students are treated as able and capable. After a few months, they actually believe that they are capable, and begin to act accordingly. Assimilated.
You Too, Can Be Successful Perseverance can also be taught by giving students small doses of success one day at a time. There was this boy in my room whose parents worked night shifts. He went home to an empty house with his sister. From the time he arrived home to the time that he went to bed, he roamed around on the streets looking for people to hang out with, he watched television programs that were not monitored by any means, and he ate whatever was left on the kitchen counter, by himself.
When I first received this child, I was told that his behavior was off the chart the year before. I was told to be careful because he brought weapons to school. I was told that this was a lost cause and not much could be done with this child. I wanted to meet this child. When he first came into my classroom, he had a grin on his face telling me that he had some kind of agenda on his mind already. I quickly introduced myself and smiled, “Welcome to fifth grade, I have been so looking forward to meet you. I am glad you are here.” That, caught the child off guard. In fact, I was surprised by his expression. This was a child who had not received a lot of kind words in his life. He had not been treated with dignity quite often. He was dumbfounded to hear that someone actually has been “hoping” to meet him. Well, I was.
Upon initial assessment, this child was reading three years below grade level. He did not know his times table, nor did he speak academic English. I questioned him, “Sweet heart, did you know that you were so much behind? What did all of your teachers do when they realized that you were so behind?” He said as he shrugged, “They told me to learn?” I got curious. “So you knew that it was your job to learn. Then, what is my job?” He, again, looked astounded that I did not know the answer, “To teach?” He guessed. “You got it. So Junior, you are going to make sure that I do my job. And I am going to make sure that you do yours. The thing is that, I am not going to “tell” you to learn, I am going to “make” you learn. That means each day, I am going to spend extra time with you to help you make up all of the content that you did not know prior to coming into fifth grade. Things are going to change.” And things did. Junior was held to the same standards (if not higher) that I set for all of my students. He was required to memorize the times table, two numbers at a time. I assigned him a student coach, who I knew would work tirelessly to get him to memorize his multiplication facts. As soon as he memorized half of the table, I made a huge deal out of it and said in front of the whole class, “Junior, you’re the man!” He ate it up. More tasks were given to him. No complaint allowed. If he should come to school unprepared, or missing an assignment, he was sent to Study Hall to do double the work. I did not relent, but nonetheless always sent him home with a smile and some encouragement, “Junior, I know you are better than this. Show me that you can do this”, or “Junior, tomorrow is a new day. Come back with your best work. I have high hopes for you.” He persevered through the rest of the math facts and got the whole times table memorized. Once he passed that test, he was told that he had a more intense task
waiting for him. Junior took the challenge. I told him that he had two months to memorize the 50 states and capitols in the United States. My strategy for him was to work on ten states and capitols a week, and that will leave him two to three weeks to review. I told the rest of the class that, anywhere they saw Junior, they were to ask him a state and capitol name. If he got them right, offer a high-five, because Junior was that kind of boy, street and eager. But if it was reported to me that Junior seemed to have difficulty knowing the terms, I immediately ask him to identify the problems and we came up with ways to solve them. He once told me that he did not have index cards to make flash cards. I bought him a deck and told him that he must repay with test scores. The deck was 75 cents, so he needed to get 75% on the test as a form of payment. Later he said that he had no one at home to help him. We had a long talk about reality of life and he needed to be brave and big enough to take care of himself and his sister when mom and dad were working to put food on the table. He then asked for a blank map and a pre-filled map to take home. He was going to try to work on testing himself. Christmas came and we had a two-week winter break. Junior went home with the flashcards and the maps. When school resumed, he passed the test at 100%. I was astonished at this progress, so I brought Junior to my desk: “Junior, I am sure you worked really hard to get this test score. How did you do it?” “Oh, it was easy. I just studied”, he shrugged. “But honey, we are talking about 50 states and capitols. What did you do to get them all memorized? Must be hard work…” I became even more curious. He smiled and said, “Well, it was really because I had nothing to do every day. When I got really bored, I remember what you said so I took out the maps and the cards. I just
pretended that I was taking a test. The ones that I did not pass, I just looked at the flashcards and tested more. There was no one home to help me, so I just studied. Like how we did it in school.�
That was an affirmation that, when we give students the tools and the lessons that they need, they can take off on their own and persevere until a problem is solved. Junior went on to raise his math score from Below Basic to Basic, two performance bands improvement. He started to read more at recess and asked to take reading tests on the school computer. I communicated the necessity of perseverance, and Junior received the code and pressed on. This was a child who brought weapons to school the year before. Now, a life changed, assimilated.
Suggestions for Parents: Your child learns a great deal about responsibility and perseverance when given chores and jobs to do at home. At times it may seem easier if you just take over and do them; you may also grow impatient at watching your child struggle through a seemingly insurmountable task. Give them the dignity of failure to make mistakes and pick themselves up again and again until the job is done right and done well. This, in time, will give them a tremendous amount of self-esteem and confidence because they were the one that completed the work.
Action Points for Teachers:
When students whine and complain, our first inclination is to counter that behavior by reprimanding them. Most of the time students whine because they do not want to go through the long process alone. One thing I do quite often in class is that I take time to work out a long problem, step by step, again and again. When I ascertain that most students have gotten the concept, I would let them do one with me, inserting their answers and steps as we went. Then I would do another problem that is identical. Seeing this, students would grow impatient and say, “No, let us do it. We know how to do it.” I would insist, “No, you said that it was too hard, I am not sure if you can handle it…” Then they would beg to do the problems all on their own. As soon as they are “hooked” I walk around the room catching them “doing it right” and offer specific praises or pat them on the shoulder. For students who struggle, I would thank them for reminding me to cover that missed point one more time later in class. I handhold them and teach one-to-one by their desk. As soon as they “get it”, I offer another behavior specific praise (praises that are based on what they do, not because of who they are) to move them forward.
If You Happened to be a Student: Perseverance in the 21st century is likely one of the most important characters you need to have in order to keep a job. Getting into a great collage or landing a job is easy, but it takes perseverance to get through college or to keep a job. Allow your parents and teachers to train you in this area. If they don’t, find opportunities to learn the skills to problem-solve and press on in the face of challenges.
Chameleon Dialogues (變色龍互動區) You are a teacher who knows how to communicate your color code. Show your students how to persevere through a task and offer genuine advice on how to tackle assignments that they find tolling. In this chapter, I talked about how to set up a protected environment in the classroom for the students to learn various skills. Also hold students accountable for their actions by installing matching consequences. Sometimes, students need time to reflect on their actions. Writing is one of the best ways, that I found, to reminisce one’s behavior. In many of my students’ writing, I see how they feel terribly about incomplete tasks and how they know something needs to be fixed. They begin seeing themselves as problem-solvers instead of problem-creators or dwellers. That is the success of a chameleon teacher.