Perhaps the most important thing you can teach your students is that they have the power to succeed in anything they set their minds to in life.
It may seem surprising to use such a word especially as its connotations are often the cause for struggle when working in the field of education. Especially when working with youth, power struggles are common place as youth tests the boundaries continuously and as teachers we are responsible for ensuring that these boundaries are held via positive reinforcement and communication.
Notions of power needs to be addressed as are ways in which to acknowledge that power in itself is not held by any one person. It involves recognizing that everybody has some avenues to power. Even the weakest have the power to resist and to undermine the best-laid plans.
Our students should encounter this first and foremost within your classroom. Encouragement to take an active decision not only on how well they do in your class but within every other aspect of their lives is essential. As this field is certainly not for the faint of heart, a look at some of the ways which we can ensure our students not only recognizes the power which they yield, but how they apply it proactively is essential.
• A's before C's!
Starting from the bottom up in a new class can seem insurmountable at times, especially when the topic may not be a student's forte. On the first day of class inform all of your students that as of the 1st day each and every one of them has an A! Than inform them that it is their responsibility to maintain that A average by clearly outlining what is expected of them in your class. By changing the mind set of your students from the get go you are empowering them to undertake your class and every other class they have with a fresh outlook.
• Time Management.
By having students create a schedule for themselves after school where they have to get their homework done along with whatever responsibilities they may have you are in fact helping empower your students to actively take control of their academic and personal life. The sad and simple fact is, unlike South Korea, China, and Japan, North America and Europe alike has seen a decline in parental involvement over the past decade in the daily lives and routines of their children and adolescents. Lack of structure has led to a drop in overall grades as students no longer face the staunch expectations they once did in times not so long ago to excel in academics. By constructing your class in a way that allow students to see the benefits of time management you are in essence providing them with the tools necessary to be effective in both school and future careers.
• Life Plan.
Asking students what they want to do when they grow up is a loaded question to say the least. That is not the point of a life plan. Rather, by this I mean to infer that as teachers we have a responsibility to help our students excel in our class, even if it should happen that it is a topic they may not be particularly fond with. List the facts... even the most talented of teachers can't win all of their students over. There is nothing in the rule books that say you can't help your students see the bigger picture! If passing you class means that they are one step closer to graduating, or that it means they can continue or start with an extra curricular activity than use it to both your student's and your advantage.
Ideally we hope that as teachers we can make a difference in each and every one of our students... and perhaps we can if we are our willing to relinquish some of that power we believe we hold and trust our students to make the right decisions. After all, not every student may pass your class, but at the end of the day they may walk away with something much more powerful than a simple grade. They walk away with the knowledge and hence the power to have either succeeded or failed in any aspect of their life.
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