Welcome To The Classroom

This post may be controversial!

I remember when I first started teaching that I thought I was going to “change” or “save” each student, and that they would become successful in everything they did. The truth is that I wasn’t going to save, change, or win all of my students. This was a hard pill to swallow for quite some time. I saw the potential in each of my students, but there was always a small handful of students whose choices and actions kept them from becoming more than what they were. It didn’t matter how much time and effort I put into them, those students never changed. I then realized that I was alienating the hardworking, disciplined, and respectful students just so I could save or change the few students in my classroom who were making poor choices. 

The reality is, you cannot win them all. A classroom will be filled with all kinds of students. You will have the hard working, focused students, the daydreamers who want to do well but struggle being engaged in class, the students that are there because they “have to be” and do the minimum to get by, and then there are the students who don’t care to be in class, don’t want to try, and don’t care about the consequences. The latter students usually create the most frustration for teachers. They are also where most of a teacher’s energy goes in a day. The problem with that is that those students who want to be there, who want to try, and who want to be better get less time from the teacher and are often overlooked. 

Teachers need to understand that in a classroom of 30 students, two or three students are those students who don’t care and don’t want to try. If all of a teacher’s energy is spent on trying to “change”, “save”, or “fix” these two or three students, then how are they supporting and encouraging the other 27 or 28 students? It is not fair to those students who have pride in their learning and have a desire to do well, when they are overlooked because “they are doing fine and doing what they are supposed to.” It is these students who teachers should be focusing on and giving their attention. These students want to learn and want to be better. 

Please don’t misunderstand me, the troubled students are just as valuable as the rest of the students. However, if they aren’t willing to put in the effort, energy, or work to better themselves or their future, then neither should the teacher. This doesn’t mean teachers give up on them and shouldn’t help them. It means that they provide the support in their learning, but move on if they refuse to put in any effort. Yes, there are probably underlining issues for the students behavior, but a classroom is not a place to fix those issues. It goes much deeper than that, and when we try to fix those issues, we lose sight of the other students who are just as important and are doing great. Ultimately, the student is responsible for the choices they make choices, not the teacher.

I have found that one of the hardest things for teachers to do is detach themselves from the choices, actions, and decisions of students. In my early years as a teacher, I had a hard time detaching myself from student choices and behavior. I was always thinking that I wasn’t doing something right, or that I was failing the student. In reality, students were just making dumb decisions, didn’t care, and didn’t want to improve. Until a student wants to help themselves, there is nothing that a teacher will be able to do for them. Yes, you give those students support. Yes, you spend time talking and engaging with them. However, if they choose to not work or do the assignments they have been assigned, or if they want to act out and be ridiculous in their behavior, that’s their choice. Turn your attention to those students who are working diligently, who are having legitimate struggles with understanding the content and need help.

Instead of trying to “fix” student behavior and decisions, address the behavior, set expectations, and give consequences. Give your attention to the students who show a desire to do well and want to be better. You’re not going to win them all, and you shouldn’t alienate the “good” students by trying to “fix” the “I don’t care” student. This may sound harsh, but the reality is that we do a disservice to the majority of the students in our classroom when we spend countless hours on trying to “fix” the one or two students who just don’t care.  

Bottom-line, don’t put all of your focus and energy into the students who don’t care. Support them and give them opportunities, but ultimately, let them suffer the consequences of their choices. Turn your attention and energy to the ones who want to be in the classroom, who care to do well, and who want to become better. Detach yourself from the “I don’t care” student. After all, a student won’t change until THEY choose to change.