I always have conflicted feelings at this time of year. Did I do enough? Why didn't I do more? Did I make an impact? Am I a "game changer" in the lives of the students I teach and the colleagues I work with on a daily basis? I look across the table at staff meetings and meet the eyes of other staff members. I can see the same questions, the same worries, the same concerns, the same weariness mirroring back at me. The testing is taking its toll on staff as we await scores that we cannot help but believe define us and our value to the students we teach.It is the message we hear in the halls, in the media, from politicians, or other groups eager to "solve" education's problems. We wonder where we are on the "effectiveness" scale.
Indeed, I hear students lament, "Another test?" I look at them feeling quite helpless in the constant barrage of multiple choice questions they navigate, urging them to do their best, knowing that the test is not there to define them, but me. I cannot help but reflect on my impact, making lists in my mind of what we have accomplished as a class, yet I also must queue up the growing list of learning experiences that went on the "back-burner"--a reminder of opportunities lost, shelved due to M-step, NWEA, Aimsweb, post-tests for reading, language arts and social studies.
This is a time of reflection.
As an educator, I find this time of year an important part of my growth. It's a time of year where I realize my imperfections, and my need for continued growth. It's a time of year where I understand that, without the "Last Day," I have no frame in which to focus my reflection. It's a time of year where I look upon the art and craft of teaching to take the best of what happened this year and consider its impact on my students.
This year I learned:
- intentional teaching about the growth mindset does make an impact, yet circling back frequently is imperative, and inserting growth mindset language on my part requires me to heighten my awareness of my own habits of speech, learning new phrases. I was not perfect this year, but I will continue to work on it. Students need to take ownership of their mindset--their thinking about themselves, and how they interact with the situations and people in their lives. (I'm pretty sure this is not on a standardized test, however.)
- purposeful teaching regarding the habits of mind--perseverance, self-control (managing impulsivity), thinking interdependently, etc., is not just a "good thing to do," it is the road map to a student's future success. (I'm pretty sure this isn't on a standardized test, however.)
- providing students with opportunities to explore their own interests, their own passions, and having voice and choice in learning leads to greater interest in the process of exploration, curiosity, innovation and creativity. Genius hour is not just for the gifted student; it's for every student. Genius hour has reinforced the idea that students learn more through the process than the product. Sure, there will be cool end-products for their projects, but many students learned that working with another person can be challenging, that some ideas are not as wonderful as expected and it's okay to change course for something more meaningful, that time-management matters, that learning can be fun! (I'm pretty sure it's not on a standardized test, however.)
Therefore, in the final sprint toward the "Last Day", and as I review final test scores, I worry less about the "numbers" and more about if my students may someday become game changers, if they have discovered how passion and interest are game changers in their lives. While I know standardized tests don't focus on habits of mind, the growth mindset, student interest and passion, I do know that these are the sparks that will feed the flame of inspiration for my students, guide them, and perhaps give them hope for a life beyond multiple choice.