Taking Time to be Important

I have a thing for watches. I probably own about 10, but I have 5 that I wear regularly. I just like the way that they look and feel. I can vividly remember my dad purchasing me my first watch. It was a black Timex and I got it because I couldn't remember what time to come home from a friend's house. He brought it to me the next day and told me that I would never get to use that excuse again. Since then I have owned dozens of watches. As a runner I had watches that had lap timers and all kinds of functions. As I got older I wanted watches that I felt showed somewhat of a status symbol. Having one on my wrist makes me feel ready for the day and important.

Take a look around any school and you will see that kids do not wear watches anymore. They have a cell phone that gives them the time and a watch is just a single-purpose device. I think that kids today miss out on some of those things that make you feel like an adult and feel important. That's why I purchased three watches and gave them to three young men this week. About a month ago I started my own homeroom, comprised of three 9th grade boys. All three were failing all of their courses. In our first homeroom we talked about why they were not being successful. Taking time to do their work and to study was a common theme. They also mentioned a lack of motivation and an overwhelming fear of being wrong. Since then, we have been working on making up classwork, completing assignments and being in their classes on time each day. Their grades have significantly improved and I am proud of what we have started. These young men come in each Monday and we talk for a few minutes and then they help each other on anything that they need for class. (They have several classes together.)

When I gave them their watches on Monday, I told them about my first watch and why I still wear one. I want them to feel important and I wanted it to be a symbol to take time to do the right thing. I never expected that I would have to teach them how to set a watch or even how to tell time on an analog clock face, but we did a crash course on that as well. These watches were a small investment in the lives of three young men, and to be honest I wasn't even sure that they would wear them. I was hoping that the feeling was universal. Their faces said it all as they put them on and I have seen them wearing their watch every day this week.

While I do
n't suggest that we go out a purchase watches for every student, I do suggest finding how to make students feel a sense of importance about their purpose and their goals. Learning has so much to do with how a learner feels about what they do and so little about their given talents toward the subject. The right mindset can truly overcome anything.