These Kids
From the desk of Alice…
It’s the spring semester and even though the weather says it is still winter, many schools I work in have their eye on the end of the year. Specifically, the end of year assessments that are high stakes. This year, the assessments are a little fuzzy… we have the Common Core Standards and new ways of assessing and things are changing and we have never been in this spot before and OH MY. There is a lot of uncertainty and fear among educators. I feel it. I see it. I hear it.
One thing I keep hearing is the phrase, “these kids…” As in “these kids can’t read” or “these kids don’t do homework” or “these kids don’t care about grades” or “these kids are not going to pass that test.” I hear it all over the place and it concerns me. I keep wondering if we just shifted our language slightly if we could calm ourselves down.
Why aren’t they “our kids”? When we talk about kids in third person, it creates a distance. Maybe we are creating distance due to that little thing called fear creeping in. Maybe if we can create distance and “these kids” do poorly on high stakes assessments we won’t have to take as much ownership? Maybe if we can just keep them separate from us we can blame “these kids” for the results and it won’t hurt as much.
The problem here is that WE are the educators. Our classes and schools are full of students who become “our kids” for 180 days. They are not someone else’s responsibility and there is not someone else teaching them by remote. We are teaching them- they are ours. All of them. And they deserve the best instruction and we are good enough to provide it. Let me say that again- We are good enough to provide the best instruction.
What if we could turn this fear on its head and embrace it? What if we could stop saying “these kids” and instead, say “our kids”? Could that possibly make less room for fear and more room for problem solving? More room for responsive teaching? More room for looking at growth and progress? More room to teach and stop worrying about assessments?
As the next few months unfold and the testing season kicks into full swing, I challenge all of us to be thoughtful about our language. I challenge us to abolish the phrase “these kids” and instead focus on our kids. Focus on the growth they have made since the beginning of the year, the small celebrations that happen each day in classrooms and schools, and the endless opportunities our kids will have as they move beyond high stakes assessments into the real world.
Our kids have a lot to learn from us and we must believe in our ability to reach them. If we don’t stake our instruction on this belief, we just become “those teachers.”