My 5th grade team met with some of the 6th grade team at the middle school, one of those rare occurrences where everyone's schedule just meshes and you finally get to sit down and discuss expectations. Hallelujah! While the whole meeting was a gem to be a part of, one thing that struck me was that the kids who are struggling in elementary are the kids that end up struggling in middle school. Simple conclusion, yes, but think about the impact of that...
Those kids who have problems handing in work, or don't know how to ask for help, or who sit back and wait for someone else to figure it out, they keep doing it in middle school. Those kids who don't show up to school, or show up with half of their things, who seem unaffected when we ask where their work is, or why they didn't finish something. Who horse around, who get in trouble at the blink of an eye, those kids that the whole school seems to know. Sure ,those kids come to us like that in 5th, much like they came to their teachers in 4th the same way, and yet I wonder; what are we doing to change their habits?
The age old system of losing recess, docking points for late assignments, a stern talking to, parent phone calls, and drill and kill don't seem to be putting these kids on a different path. Neither does compassion and community, showing that you care and giving them extra time. We don't seem to be having many eureka moments. So what can we change? How can we intervene differently? How can we stop the cycle? That's what I left wondering after today.
Those kids who have problems handing in work, or don't know how to ask for help, or who sit back and wait for someone else to figure it out, they keep doing it in middle school. Those kids who don't show up to school, or show up with half of their things, who seem unaffected when we ask where their work is, or why they didn't finish something. Who horse around, who get in trouble at the blink of an eye, those kids that the whole school seems to know. Sure ,those kids come to us like that in 5th, much like they came to their teachers in 4th the same way, and yet I wonder; what are we doing to change their habits?
The age old system of losing recess, docking points for late assignments, a stern talking to, parent phone calls, and drill and kill don't seem to be putting these kids on a different path. Neither does compassion and community, showing that you care and giving them extra time. We don't seem to be having many eureka moments. So what can we change? How can we intervene differently? How can we stop the cycle? That's what I left wondering after today.
