Perspective

This fall I have participated in a professional development course that's been an interactive book study of George Couros' The Innovator's Mindset. One of our assignments of the book student was to shadow a student and reflect upon the experience. This past Friday, I shadowed a randomly selected 5th grader.


This was a very interesting experience. I had to remind myself that I was there to seek out the student perspective and not observe/evaluate a teacher. As an administrator, observations and evaluations can become very routine and instinctual. I wasn't there to evaluate I was there for the experience of viewing school through the eyes of a student. This experience reminded me that the student perspective is by far the most important. I was able to see how students perceived different parts of their days. I could infer which classes they enjoy. They bounced to the parts of their day that excited them and basically dragged themselves to the unfavorable parts.

Our day started in Art Class. The students seemed to be very comfortable here. They thrived on the routine. Art class seemed therapeutic for students. The painting and sketching came natural for them. They were relaxed and clearly enjoyed the opportunity to engage in casual conversations as they worked. Maybe it is because there is little pressure as far as grading is concerned. 

The most powerful moment of the experience occurred during this period of the day.  During art, the students at the table I was located at were working and talking. The casual banter began with the students asking me why I was there. I explained and they began offering me their thoughts on school. About this time, the fourth student at our table arrived to school. After explaining why I was there, the conversation continued. I asked her if she was late to school because she missed the bus. I was expecting an answer like, "we overslept" or something else typical. Her answer surprised me immensely. The family issue she cited and explained so casually blew me away. I am not going into details out of respect of her privacy. However, I will stress it was an example of the unbelievable amount of baggage our students often come to us with. Many of our students have such challenging home lives. The rest of the day I couldn't help but notice how normal she acted. I couldn't get over how she focused on her work. It was amazing to see her act like the other students. She was kind to her classmates and well-behaved. I couldn't help but think on how she could have acted. She didn't act as if she was mad at the world. This child has grit. She overcomes daily struggles that are extremely difficult for adults to deal with and for the most part no one around her would ever guess!   
Other topics that this honest conversation covered were also eye-opening. Two of the kids at the table loved everything about school. One girl in particular said that school is fun and that she wants to get a good education so she can get a good job and not have to work in fast food. The student with the family issue referred to it as being like "jail". When I asked her to expand her thoughts, she offered because "we can't do what we want to do." The fourth child said that the best part of school is the free lunch. I also heard: "The only thing I like about school is seeing my friends. I don't like learning. It's boring and it's hard." The student did go on to add, "even though it's hard and boring I have to do good on my EOG's so I can make it to 6th grade." Another student added her opinion that, "I think students should be able to have their phones in their back pockets." I pretty much agree with her statement.  

Of the four kids at the table, two kids have attended 5 schools during their elementary careers (in 6 years!). The remaining two have attended 2 and 3 different schools. Lesson here: teach the students you have to the fullest of your ability, we never know how long we will have them. We might not have another chance other than today to make a difference in their lives. 

Recess was another highlight of the shadowing experience. The student I was shadowing played kickball, so I joined in the game. I was all-time pitcher. It was another opportunity to see the students in a setting where they obviously seemed more comfortable. There was little pressure. It was fun. They had freedom. They could interact. If kickball got boring they could go slide or play tag. I understand our classrooms cannot be entirely like recess. There needs to be structure but choice and freedom need to be a huge part of our classrooms. 

Students love an animated and excited teacher. They don't care what you are talking about if you are animated. If the teacher is excited about the topic, the students will watch and absorb. If you talk without energy you will bore them. Also, they clearly like to be included in the lesson. Insert a discussion part to your lessons. Students look forward to it and will gladly participate.

Shadowing a student is a practice I highly encourage all fellow educators to try. Teachers, administrators, and decision-makers can all benefit from taking the opportunity to see things once again from the eyes of a student. 

My final thoughts are that we need to work on developing our "why" in the classroom. There is always room to grow in the relevance and the relationship departments. We must continue to work towards improving our students perceptions towards school. We must work to build better relationships with students. We must make our classrooms important to them. As educators we need to stay grounded to the "why" we teach. We must remember "why" we do what we do. If we remember our "why", our "what" will take care of itself. Our "what" is after all the life-changing business.