Engagement and Endurance

When I teach Period 6, I’m not always sure what type of day it will be. Even though I know that I am excited to see them, prepared for the lesson, and able to brush off most of whatever had happened to me that day, I’m not always sure where they will be coming from. Well, I know that a few literally come in sweaty from gym class, but I have no crystal ball for their emotions. I was a bit nervous heading into my observation on Friday, not so much because of my lesson, but because I wasn’t sure how my students would respond.

We’ve been working on ethos, pathos, and logos for what seems to be forever and every day a few students ask me, like kids on a long car ride, “Are we done yet?!?” I let them know that we’re getting there, but now is crunch time. They need to show their understanding in their essays comparing Obama’s and JFK’s use of these rhetorical strategies.

So, the question running through my head this week has been: How do I keep them engaged and help them develop endurance when tasks are difficult and not as much “fun?”

My answer to this question is far from developed, but I approached this problem in a few ways. First, Ms. M suggested doing our pre-writing/drafting on a foldable. This helped the students take ownership of their work and was particularly beneficial for tactile learners. Also, I grouped the students with their friends because they tend to be more productive when they are able to sit next to people they feel comfortable with. Some of the students were absent when we watched and read the speeches, so this seating arrangement also created a structure where the students could easily catch each other up. Third, I worried that I might get stuck having to constantly redirect or motivate certain students, especially a student I’ll call Jacob. To address this concern, I made sure to work with him first so that I could check in with him about his day, give him some positive encouragement, and get him on track for the rest of the period.

Though these strategies seemed to work to engage the students (Jacob filled in each section of his foldable with quotations and analysis!), I’m still unsure about their long-term endurance.

And I’m not sure if I will know.

I asked the students today on their entrance card, “What is the purpose of school?” and “What do you do when you get stuck before/during writing?” and from their answers it seems like they know school is important but can’t articulate why beyond the supposed preparation for the “real world.” So, if  we #hack the purpose of school, would this endurance come easier? Would engagement be more authentic?

These days I seem to have more questions than answers...