At the beach reading and reflecting:
I wholeheartedly agree in Zanders practice of giving an A. Every child has something special to offer, and when given the chance to express themselves they not only enrich the classroom environment but they learn to take risks academically and creatively. This practice leads to life long skills and academic success. Skills such as self confidence, personal growth and appreciation for individualism. Students will feel confident in themselves and willing to share their ideas and to collaborate with colleagues to open up endless possibilities.
Zander, B. and Zander, R. (2002). The Art of Possibility. New York: New York Penguin Group
Image Credit:
Photo taken by Deb Quinn
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Deb, I wish I was at the beach with you! But I agree, every child is unique with something to offer and we as educators need to know how to encourage them and motivate them. I am currently dealing with motivating my daughter to play tennis. She is a straight A student and I put her in tennis camp for the summer and she is traumatized that she is not the best player. It has been a great experience for her because she is seeing that it takes work! It is definitely making her a better person but she is struggling with it because this is not the norm for her. I call her everyday to tell her that I am proud of her for trying and that it takes time. Self confidence is soooooo important and I am trying to show her that her confidence is everything and that she needs to be positive!
ReplyDeleteDebb, you know that I am a very positive person and educator who wants only the best for his students, but I still have reservations about the Giving an A idea. I love that it is idealistic, but it is so far from realistic. I would rather teach them that it is not about the A at all. We have to measure our students and instructors because our accrediting commission is measuring us. The working world will be immediately measuring our graduates. If this is the first time they are measured, they will not know how to handle it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place to be to read the Zander book.
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