PUSHING PERSEVERANCE and STAMINA

Perseverance and stamina. These are two words I way overthink at school. And I fear wrongly. For years I've complained and wondered why students really struggle to "stick with" certain tasks- especially reading tasks and work that challenges them. Now that my students all work out of chrome books everyday, the "problem" is something I think about even more. But my thinking is starting to change.

I've been wondering, where did I learn perseverance? I've been thinking about that a lot. I don't know why I never thought to do this before- but I didn't... but now that I have, the memories have really helped me think differently about things.

The more I think about it, the more I'm sure I learned about perseverance and stamina in seventh grade. I spent seventh and eighth grades at a boarding school away from home. Part of our daily activities involved starting each day with a run. We had to run at least one mile but were given the opportunity to run three. If we could run three miles up to the truck stop, Pastor Ken would buy us breakfast. That was a treat.

So I learned to run- not all three miles at once, but each time I set out I would get a little further than I did the time before. Learning to run is psychological. The more I reflect on it, the more I can remember conversations I had with myself between school and the truck stop. I can literally remember learning to push myself. And I can remember the first time I made all three miles without stopping. I'm not sure I was ever more proud of myself than I was then. I can still taste the chocolate milk celebration. Those were good days.

So where do students learn to push themselves? Do they learn to push themselves? As teachers are we more responsible for the pushing? What motivated me to push myself? breakfast?? or was it something bigger? What might motivate my students to push themselves? Is pushing even appropriate? Is this process as psychological for them as running was for me? Do they talk to themselves? Teach themselves? How do they learn to be perseverant?

so many questions.... deep in my heart I know how I really feel about this... the answer is a resounding YES! I really believe I should push them. Gently. But, yes, as a teacher there are real times when pushing is good for my students. So I do. And I hope the process is somewhat psychological or metacognitive- because then it will stick. I hope they are talking to themselves just like I did out on the road between school and the truck stop.

So I push and I watch. And they dig in... they work- hard! And I get excited! The results are good. In the end I make them talk to themselves, by writing about the process of going through all that hard work. There has to be value in that. There certainly was for me.

This week we'll celebrate those good results. We'll celebrate the way my students have responded to the prodding.

What a privilege to watch them work hard on these writing tasks. They weren't easy and they were time consuming. The work caused them to really dig for the right text to support their well constructed claims. I got to see them work at being thoughtful about word choice and providing citations. And for them most part, even though it took lots of time, they pushed themselves. And I got to watch it happen.

Time to celebrate. (and reflect on process)

As I reflect on these last few days, I think some of what we saw happened because we decided not to accept the final, finished work, until we went over it with them and asked them prodding questions that allowed them to see how they could improve the work before turning it in. But they had to choose to work at making the improvements. They had to choose to push themselves and they did.

That is definitely worth celebrating! It was truly an honor to see them work so hard and I'm sure I witnessed growth over the three days it took to construct those responses. They weren't easy tasks- but the students persevered. I am so proud!

As a teacher I think I'm pretty good at pushing. And I guess I always have been, but hadn't really realized it until this week. Ironically as much as I've really been thinking about perseverance and stamina I remembered an old drawing a student of almost twenty years ago did of me that hangs above my work bench in the garage- he labeled me a "slave driver"! It's kinda funny- but it is who I have learned to become at times- so I'll own that title and celebrate it, because I think it's worthwhile to be "pushy" sometimes and to stronghold high standards.

This week I have no regrets that we pushed- but I do have a lot of celebrating to do- with my students.

(drawing by Mike Riffel, 1991 or 1992?)