Teachers, Students, Success, and Failure.

Student Success and Failure

One big reason I decided to start writing a blog was this article I read on the CBC News Website. Apparently a teacher in Edmonton was suspended and possibly will be fired for giving 0's on assignments for students who did no work. The other thing that prompted me to write about this is a web comic my friend posted on his Facebook page (thanks Jordan H!).

Hopefully I don't get in trouble for being opinionated, but as I have mentioned in my first blog post, I don't imagine many people will be reading this blog anyway. I am very much in favor of collaborative learning, student directed education, and promoting student success. I also strongly believe that every student is gifted in different areas. One student may be good at math, another may be good at science, and another language arts.

However, I also strongly believe that students (and humans in general) can develop the areas that they are not necessarily gifted in. Personally, I am not naturally gifted in math. Teaching grade 6 and 7 math has occasionally challenged me. At nearly 30 years old, I am now enjoying this challenge, where in Grade 6, I really disliked it. The point is, I am developing a skill I am not naturally good at.

It is important to encourage students, and help them know that they are good at something in life. I feel part of my job is to help students discover their gifts. The other part of my job is to try to stretch and challenge students to become stronger in both their gifts, and their weak areas.

This cartoon is rather preachy, so I will stop preaching myself, and let the cartoon do it for me: