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THE CHALLENGE
How to help a student focus and complete a doable task.
I WAS TEACHING IN A congregated classroom with students from grades 4, 5 and 6 who had a variety of learning needs. During one lesson a particular student was having a hard time focusing. I can’t even recall what he was working on, but it was something that he could do, and he was just having a bit of trouble concentrating and getting it done.
I always encouraged the class to be cheerleaders for each other. I used to be a cheerleader in high school, and I actually kept a set of pom-poms in my desk. Every once in awhile, when kids were struggling, I’d pull out the pom-poms and we’d do a cheer.
On this particular day, when this student was struggling, I told him, “you have three sentences left. If you can get them done in the next 10 minutes, I’m going to move the desks and do a cartwheel right here in the middle of the classroom.”
Of course, all the kids thought it would be hilarious to see their teacher do this, so he finished what he needed to do without further prompting.
Though I was pretty sure my promise would be motivation enough for him to engage in the task, I hadn’t thought through the rest of the scenario. I suddenly remembered I had a pair of platform shoes on and wasn’t sure if I should take them off. It had also been a long while since I’d done a cartwheel and I thought about whether or not I’d actually be able to do it. And what if my principal walked in?
I surveyed the faces of the students who were awaiting my next move and heard them cheering me on. True to my word, I cleared all the desks out of the middle of the classroom, kicked off my shoes and executed a cartwheel … just one … without preamble or commentary.
I hadn’t anticipated how hard this would make everyone laugh, including me. The most hilarious thing was, for years afterward, whenever I saw any of those former students, they always said “do you remember the time you did a cartwheel in the middle of the classroom?”
It just goes to show that a teacher can never underestimate the power of a good surprise.
Got an idea? Maybe you created a lesson that totally flopped or were on the receiving end of a lesson that was truly inspiring. Whatever your story, please summarize it in up to 300 words and email it to managing editor Cory Hare at cory.hare@ata.ab.ca.
“I surveyed the faces of the students who were awaiting my next move and heard them cheering me on.”
