Confidence

Most of my blog posts are about metaphors. I am always looking for things I see throughout the week that can be applied to teaching and learning. Like many of you, I've been watching a lot of basketball lately. One thing I have noticed about this year's basketball team is how confident they look when they are playing. From the moment their name is called, to the final minutes, their faces show that they know what they are there for. There is never a look of confusion or doubt about what their job is. On Tuesday, I looked for that on the faces of our Juniors when they sat down to take the ACT. Did they look confident or afraid? Were they ready? To be honest, I saw both. I saw students that were smiling with two pencils and a calculator on their desk. I saw others that already looked like they were beaten down.

How can we replicate that confidence that our players have about their mission to academic achievement? I feel like anything like that can be coached. So what are coaches doing that classroom teachers are missing? Coaching brings instant feedback, positive and negative. Coaches applaud great work and make an example when a player steps out of line. But even when a player miss-steps, there is always a learning opportunity and a chance for redemption with a cheer at the end. I think that reinforcement from the coaches and teammates is what builds that confidence. So do we cheer enough in our classrooms? Do we encourage confidence in our students and can we even get them to encourage it amongst themselves? If you can, you've built a truly accomplished classroom culture based on collaboration and achievement. Try coaching along with your teaching and let's see if we can build some confidence in our students for their next big assessment.