They Hate Me at First, But Just You Wait

I know we're starting on the right foot in my class when I see students second guessing their actions and look unsure of their surroundings. I say this not because I enjoy mercilessly torturing my students. Please, don't get the wrong idea. You see, most students who enter my classroom in the beginning of their 10th grade year have never had structure and discipline in an academic setting let alone at home. So when they reach me, all the procedures and "crazy" expectations I have for them feel like fat suits on a hellish summer day. They are timed getting into the classroom. Everyone sits and starts his "do now" activity (also timed) together on my signal, and if we fail to do this in perfect silence and in good time we start all over. Everyone is expected to respond to hand signals. There is no down time in our class. If students even look like they're cheating on a quiz, they ARE cheating and will receive a zero, except they won't know until they get their papers back. Phrases like "time on task" and "accountable talk" are commands not suggestions, and there are heavy prices to pay should anyone test out the waters. You get the idea. I won't lie and say it's absolutely air tight yet, but it's close.

Believe me, it's not easy for me to wear a straight face and keep up the intensity every single day either. Students loath me in the first months of school! But what most of them don't know is that they will grow to really love and appreciate our class by the second or third. With structure in place my students begin to take ownership over their learning because that's what we do in our class, and we take it serious. As students cultivate new habits of mind and academic skills I witness students proving to themselves, many for the first time, that they can achieve. But this wouldn't happen if I didn't take the time and effort to lay down the law and set high expectations.

I'm also learning, however, that high expectations alone, like memorizing 500 vocabulary definitions for my class, is often not convincing enough for them to actually do it. Many a time I've sat with students after school or during lunch with vocabulary note cards and a timer to prove to them that they can meet high expectations.

"You can do it!" I'd exclaim, but he's skeptical. "C'mon, fifteen definitions in fifteen minutes. You ready? Go!" With every flip of an index card I'm throwing word associations, hand gestures, and funny noises to help him remember the definitions for justification, mercantilism, imperialism...By the end, we're both half standing and leaning over the table from opposite sides, and he is spitting out answers as he shoots glances at the timer and recalls the gestures and noises for each word until the alarm goes off.

"YES!" He'd throw his hands up above his head and a smile as long as the Brooklyn Bridge would stretch from one ear to the other as if he just sank the winning jumper at the buzzer. "I can't believe I just did that!" He'd exclaim and breath out with surprise and relief.

"I told you! Now, don't ever tell me you can't do it! Go memorize the rest yourself and practice the strategy we just used." I'm not exaggerating. This literally happens with many of my students every single year. I putter like a clunky old Volvo with two hundred fifty thousand miles under its hood at the end of these 15 minute sprints, but it works.

I love hearing my students get excited about themselves; not about cash rewards the state gives out to successful test takers, or free movie tickets, or any other shallow and transient gratifications. My students are not stupid and worthless as many of them have constantly been told. They are students who "can" but they have to realize that, and the most I can do for them is usher them to that discovery. Anyone can teach, but it's cooler when students learn. It takes a whole lot of patience and creativity to instill values, habits, and skills that will help them to excel in such a way, but it's so worth it!