Do you imagine your students as 10's, as in a scale from 1-10? According to DePorter, Reardon, and Singer-Nourie in Quantum Teaching, "Students get your intention faster and more accurately than they get anything you teach." The authors suggest envisioning each of our students with a "10" above his/her head and interacting with him/her as though he/she are all top students. I agree with this and believe it can drastically impact how our students view themselves and their abilities.
As much as I want to revel in the idea of treating all students as "10's", I can't avoid the fact that both the Pygmalion effect and life chances do exist. I believe they are
intertwined and bound by socio-economic status. There is always the
exception. We can find many examples of individuals who rose above
poverty and the low expectations that were passed on to them from
generations before. When families are consumed with where they're
going to get their next meal, they typically aren't as concerned
about education – not because they don't care, but because they are
trying to survive. When I taught Kindergarten, I observed that my
students who came from poverty were significantly delayed compared to
those who came from middle-class homes.
I feel that the Pygmalion effect can be the result of limited opportunities
(life chances), with poverty being the predominant factor. Although I
have witnessed teachers who had low expectations for certain students
of lower socio-economic status, I've noticed many more who had high
expectations for all students. I have also observed many who
diligently strived to motivate students, and bring out the best in
each one.
I
have one student in my class who has been labeled as a “troublemaker”
and a “bully”, not only by other teachers, but also his peers. My students intentionally avoid him because they have labeled him,
and I have to assign students to him when we work in pairs or he
won't be chosen. He is being raised in low socio-economic status by a
single mom, and has no involvement with his father, grandparents,
aunts, or uncles. He happens to be the brightest student in my class.
He can be a very angry, needy child, but that is what his teachers
and peers have come to expect from him. He can also be a sweet and
caring child – this is the side of him that I'm trying to get
others to see. He and I had a rough beginning, but I was determined
to show that I cared and could be trusted. I showed interest in his
work, as well as his hobbies and interests. He began the year with a
chip on his shoulder and acted out several times, including talking
back to me and blatantly refusing to do what I asked of him. I
continued to care and show interest. We still have some rough days
but they are less frequent. He is working harder in class, and
fighting and bullying less. Now if I could only convince his peers to
drop the label and accept him.
As I mentioned above, Quantum training teaches us to envision each of our students as a “10”.
I try to be very intentional in treating all of my students as
“10's”. My favorite challenge as a teacher is to win over the
students with labels. I show genuine care and concern for them, earn
their trust, and then the door is open to help them academically,
socially, and behaviorally. This is partially why I became a teacher
– to make a difference in the lives of all children, especially the
under dogs.
