The Classroom

It happens to all of us… some how, some where, despite all your best efforts you feel like you let your students down.  Perhaps they don’t do well on a standardized test.  Maybe its the in ability for them to grasp a concept that you’ve spent months on.  Inevitably it’s going to happen.  One or more of our students are going to fall, despite our best efforts – and what will you do then?

For me its the fact that despite all my efforts one of my students will probably be expelled.  Nothing I could do about it – it’s not like I’m going to follow my students 24/7 to try and keep them out of trouble – but it hurts none the less.  I’ve spent the whole year working with this student, trying to help them make good choices, show them how to “clean up and take responsibility for their messes” when they don’t, and tried to make them take pride in themselves, see what special skills they have, even though the world has labeled them as a trouble maker or below the grade (this student btw was a fantastic writer…).

I can’t forget the feeling when they came up to me yesterday and said “Mr. G – I’m gonna need some work for the rest of the year….”  It felt like the floor fell way from my feet.  How do you react to that?  We worked so hard together – and made real progress… to come this far only to be cut off two weeks before the grade nine celebration (on of my few Literacy students who was going to go) – and now the trip is over.  Apparently it was really important to administer some payback for a perceived attempt to steal a significant other away from this student.  All our work gone, and a new label (as well as criminal charges) added all for someone who would probably be out of their life in a few months.  What do you do in a situation like this??

I tried to play it cool – the whole “you really messed up – best of luck” speech, but the frustration/anger/disappointment still gnaws at me.

A colleague once asked me “why do you spend so much time with students like that – just kick them out of your class and be done.”  I replied “What and throw them to the wolves?”  She responded “Why not  – they’re just going to end up there anyway.”  I had to leave the room at that point in the conversation….

But this student almost proves her point.  despite all my work (and the work of countless others at my school – and believe me, we put a lot of effort into this student) they went to the wolves.  So why try?

What do you do when you fail?

You remember why you took the job in the first place.  You remember that each person make their own choices, and we’re just there to help them make the best choices they can given the circumstances.  And you remember that the best lesson any teacher can give a student is how to take responsibility – and accept their actions.  This student didn’t hide anything from me when they came to say good bye… they didn’t even need to do that.  While I know this person my never fully master that most important lesson – they have at least started to see it’s importance.  Did I really fail?  Probably – and I will again.

But we only truly fail when we decide to give up.