From Duh To Head Slap

My wife was telling me recently about one of those Duh Moments she experienced while figuring out the schedule for Cumberland Road Elementary School for next year.  Duh Moments are times when something, in retrospect, seems so simple and so clear, but it stays just out of the reach of understanding for a long time.  It is when you know you should know but you just don’t know.  Did you have to read that line twice to understand it?  If so, you just experienced a much less frustrating cousin of the Duh Moment.

For Lisa, after multiple attempts at arranging rooms and teachers using the whiteboard and sticky notes, a single word in the conversation turned on a light bulb.  It was the right word at the right time.  The Duh Moment was replaced by the Head Slap of Understanding.  Sticky notes lined up neatly on the whiteboard, blood pressure dropped, and all was good for the CRES Roadrunners.

Persistence in May

We have all experienced this phenomenon.  (Unfortunately, I can testify that these moments don’t get fewer as we age.)  Students, especially in May, seem prone to Duh as well.  My guess is that you have experienced this in your classroom as recently as this past week.  Concepts that seem simple for some students simply aren’t for others. 

Overcoming Student Duh can feel frustrating for teachers—no question about it.  It may take repeating or rephrasing or a whole different approach altogether in order to turn Duh into Head Slap.  In the classroom, this is called Responsive Teaching.  It is taking students where they are and sticking with them until they succeed.

Maybe This Time

The entire introduction above is background information and a way of encouraging you to be persistent right now, especially with those chronic underperformers.  Undoubtedly, you have been monitoring student progress all semester and are growing frustrated with some students.  It is highly likely that you have some (many?) students who are underperforming.  We have four weeks left of school.  There is still time for many of these students to improve performance levels and learning.  Even if you have been knocking your head against the wall, the attempt you make now may be the one that brings the Head Slap.  It may be the right word at the right place at the right time.

During this week, as you are working with students individually or as they are coming into your room or leaving it, give it one more shot.  Find a private moment and encourage those borderline or underperforming students.  Let them know that you are available to help and that it is not too late to make a change. 

At Hamilton Southeastern, we don’t give up on kids.  We may not “get” them all at once, but we do get them one at a time.  For each one we do reach, it makes all the difference in the world.

Have a great week, HSE.

Phil