Let me explain. This year I had an experience that really shifted my perspective on the value of letting students fail. My students had to complete a lab report.
Let me explain. This year I had an experience that really shifted my perspective on the value of letting students fail. My students had to complete a lab report. Went through the report format, rubric, exemplar and non-exemplar analysis. I gave them everything they needed to succeed. One of my students walked up to me and said “Hey, I’m not gonna do the lab report.” I was floored at how casually he just walked up to a teacher and basically said “hey, I’m just not gonna do your work.” I asked him why and he said “because it’s too much work.” Now, a better teacher (according to admin) might have tried to engage him in a conversation about the value of the assignment, how it would impact his learning or even his grade, encourage him to stay after school and do it in office hours with support, even call home. I didn’t. I said, “Okay. That’s a decision you can make. You’ll need to deal with the consequences of it.” So he doesn’t turn in the lab report and it tanks his grade. So the next lab report comes around and he walks up to me and says “I’m gonna do the lab report this time around” AND THEN HE DID IT. AND HE DID WELL. High 70s/Low 80s. I was so proud of him (and I let him know it), and told him he should be proud of himself. I think about that moment a lot. Since that moment, I’ve basically stopped trying to insulate kids from the consequences of their actions. You don’t wanna do something? Okay, don’t. No argument, no calls home. You’ll have to deal with the consequences of that decision later. I’ll be here to support and praise you when you decide to make different decision, but you’re in high school and preparing to go to college, so you can make your own academic decisions. Because college professors don’t argue about the value of completing the assignment, beg you to come to office hours to do it, or call home. They just let you fail. And my high school is having a real problem with our students dropping out of college, and I do think that problem starts with what we teach them in high school, not just our content, but the mindsets. And here’s the crazy thing: ITS WORKING ACROSS THE BOARD. The majority of kids take notes in class and do their homework now, WAY more than at the beginning of the year. Kids are signing up for office hours THEMSELVES. Kids with missing work are tracking ME down to hand it in, not the other way around. So I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced success in letting students fail? submitted by /u/PropertyHumble9296 [link] [comments]