Students Write: What Every Teacher Should Know
One of my favorite writing engagements each year is “Advice for Teachers.” Student’s deserve a voice in education and this invitation gives them that space. Giving these writings as gifts to graduating teacher interns gives them a real-world audience and allows them to influence future educators.
These writings are also valuable insight to the perspectives of your own students. Every year I learn even more about what my own students want, need, appreciate, and sometimes what is missing in our day-to-day classroom lives.
The Set Up: When giving this writing invitation it is important to make sure everyone understands the power and potential of their words. This is a genuine opportunity for them to make an impact on teachers. It’s important to clarify though that a teacher’s mission is to grow brains and help students be smarter than they ever imagined, so advice like recess all the time is neither realistic nor helpful. Once students realize the impact their words will have, you will be ready to set them off to write.
Below are seven things my students want teachers to know:
Set a Positive Vibe and Offer Feedback
Also, things that you can do are: Try to stay energetic, play the song A Million Dreams, make sure you have your teacher stash with candy, give strong feedback, try not to be mean if you don’t know what’s happening at home.
Truth: Teachers set the tone and excitement for learning. Strategies like playing music and sharing joy for new learning make a huge difference in a classroom. Students value feedback that is targeted and meant to level up their current skills.
2. Get Some Fresh Air
I think teachers have to drink coffee and learn outside to make learning fun. And reward kids.
Truth: Students know how much energy it takes to teach. Besides just coffee, take the class outside for a lesson or reward them and yourself with a few minutes of outside time for a job well done. The fresh air will do everyone good.
3. Make Space for Deep Conversations and Reflection
Having deep conversations is important in a classroom, ask them to use metacognition which means thinking about your thinking, not just your class should do this, you should too.
Truth: Classroom discussions are key to building the ability to understand others, make connections, and synthesize information. This advice also speaks to the fact that everyone in the classroom, including the teacher, should be doing the work of thinking, communicating, reflecting, learning, and growing.
4. Build in Collaboration and Purposeful Engagements
But our team now works in groups and is planning to help the community and world to make a difference. We first made dog toys and food for dogs and now we are planning to help the world.
Truth: Students need opportunities to work together and leverage their individual strengths for a greater purpose. Whether the purpose is to understand what a poet is trying to make the reader understand or working together to advocate for people to be better stewards of natural resources. Working together for a purpose allows them to connect with both their classroom and greater community engaging them in real-world learning and giving them tools and strategies to become world-changers.
5. Allow for Choice
Speaking of forcing, don’t force your students to do one thing. Give options, like Writer’s and Reader’s Workshop. This gives kids multiple things to work on at a time so nobody has to work on something they don’t like.
Truth: Offering students choice gives them agency. They naturally become motivated to engage in their learning, take ownership of what they are doing, and gain a sense of pride in their work.
6. Value Mistakes as Learning Opportunities
Next, if a conflict pops up, don’t yell or use a rude tone. If a child makes a mistake and a teacher strikes, it will make them not want to ask questions anymore because they will be afraid to be wrong. Our class does a good job on this.
Truth: The way teachers and leaders respond to conflict matters. Model patience, curiosity, and empathy in all situations to encourage a safe space for students to get comfortable with the discomfort of confronting challenges.
7. Create a Space that Values Vulnerability and Restorative Justice
Our class is a very brave learning community because, unlike most classes, we trust each other enough to share private things and not be judged. To do this, set procedures and pay attention to things going on in the classroom to make sure there is no bullying going on.
Conflict is a big problem, here’s how to fix it: Don’t yell, that shuts everyone down, go in the hallway and talk it out, and last of all don’t take sides or assumptions. Understand both perspectives.
Truth: Everyone deserves a space where they belong, a place where they are accepted and valued for who they are. Honoring vulnerability by creating a culture that gets curious and seeks to understand rather than place judgement allows everyone the opportunity to be seen, to share and integrate their personal stories, and to truly belong.
Dealing with conflicts using restorative justice practices gives students the strategies and necessary practice in solving their own problems. Deal with interpersonal conflicts privately, allow both parties to share their perspectives and motivations. Then, allow them to own their mistakes, apologize for harm done, and realize a better way to achieve their goals next time. We always end with a high-five or fist-bump as a symbol of learning from it, putting it behind us, and moving on.
Students will tell you what they want and need from their educational leaders. Try this writing opportunity with your class to give them the opportunity to add their voice to the conversation of what matters in education. You will find out what matters most to the ones who show up for you every day.
