As we have started the final marking period of the year, teachers, administrators and counselors have been rounding up our students (especially the Seniors) that have issues with grades and attendance that will keep them from passing their classes. There are always a few that wait until the end to try to make up work and attendance to keep themselves just good enough to get by. In my conversations with these students, I often hear great promises from students about what they will do if they just get one more chance to prove themselves. Some of them are genuine and some are not, but any educator knows that. I always end the conversation with a simple statement, "Don't tell me...Show me." I am all for redemption as a part of the learning process. Whether we would like to admit it or not, we have all needed a second (or third) chance at some point in our lives. What we do with that chance shows others our character.
When all is said and done, the majority of students will never use most of the information that they learn in most of their classes. I never needed to know the parts of a cell and not once have I used the quadratic formula since it was on a math test. What we really learn in school is how to produce something when it is asked of us and how to navigate the problems that keep us from being successful in doing just that. For many of us, procrastination can be a problem. Dealing with lost opportunities or having to make up work later for less credit often serves as a teaching lesson that corrects some of that behavior. This builds character.
In these last few weeks I encourage you to exercise patience when students ask for a second chance and diligence when when you expect results from that chance. Make them show you. It will do much more for them than the content of the assignment they didn't complete ever will.
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