"But if a student never does any work, how can I make that positive?" someone asked, clearly perplexed by the task.
"How about student comes to class on time and appears to begin assignments, but rarely completes an assignment as noted in his worklog from the past 3 weeks where 0 of 12 assignments were not completed," I suggested.
My student stared at me for a moment and then noted, "It's hard to turn a negative into a positive statement! But I guess it keeps up the pretense of hoping things will change."
As my class returned to their small group tasks, I reflected on the exchange and also on the power of both written and spoken words to alter the course of careers and relationships.
"Words matter," I reminded them at the end of class, "on IEPs, in books, and even when you send texts," I added as they left texting.
3 comments:
This is such an important message! When I wrote report card comments I tried to focus on areas of strength and accomplishment but also to frame the not so positive aspects as having the potential for growth. You are helping new teachers to be kind and honest.
Keeping comments honest while compassionate can be challenging but focusing on hope is helpful. Love the conversation.
Great lesson. Compassion is always the right way to go. Your example was valuable, in this piece and also to your graduate students I am sure. And a good reminder to the rest of us.
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