Nothing

I recently saw a teacher post her frustrations with her students via social media. (Don't worry, it's not one of you!) The teacher remarked that her students had come to her with the age-old question, "What can I do to improve my grade?" in the week that grades were due. In her post, she stated that she always responds to that question with the same answer, "Nothing. I hope that this teaches you to do your work when it is due, but I doubt that it will." This teacher was obviously frustrated at the fact that this seems to happen every time grades are due.

That question is frustrating to a teacher. I remember that feeling very well. Objectively, I try to think back about myself as a teacher and what I did or could have done differently in that situation. All I can come up with is that if there is anything that you do not like as a result in your classroom, then you have to be the one to change the environment that causes that result. If this teacher is always frustrated with this response from students, my question to her is this: "What did you change to keep that from happening?" The answer that she gave her students applies to her as well. "Nothing."

I have written a lot about teacher leadership recently and how it has to start within the four walls of your classroom. Recognizing where things go awry and working toward changing that for the better is true teacher leadership. In this case, it's also data-driven leadership! It's never too late to assess, identify and respond to issues preventing student achievement. What can you do today that will change things for the better in your classroom?