Solutions Weekly
December 5-11, 2021
Recover, Motivate, Reward
Covid-19 contributes to our systems, with new variants popping up to prompt officials to review practices and issue mandates. Schools look at the numbers rise and wonder if they will recover. How can they continue to motivate staff and students? Will educators have rewards for the hard work they are doing this year? How will students recover from interrupted services and be motivated during challenging times? This week we can take a look at all of this and more!
Leading underachieving
Are students not motivated in learning? What if they are not at the level of learning to communicate motivation? How do we support a learning environment to promote motivation?
Students who aren’t “motivated” according to their academic achievement levels are motivated, just not motivated to do what we want them to do. Recently, I walked the halls of a school and peered into classrooms to see a variety of levels of engagement and motivation.
The leader’s issues multiply by lack of consistency in teaching staff with several substitute teachers in place, International teachers in the area to relieve the teacher shortage, students at different learning levels, and finding staffing to support them. This week we can look for more solutions to help support.
Rediscovering Learning-Building Connections
The delivery of instruction changed and left educators rediscovering the learning inequities as the environments flipped from virtual, hybrid, and in person. We can look at how these changes have caused us to pause and rethink homework, relationships, and assignments.
In addition, recognizing building relationships is essential and prioritizing working intentionally together. Being connected is not about technology but individual human relationships. We can look at learning and relationship building during the shifts we continue to experience.
Empowerment instead of disengagement
I was an administrator in my daughter’s school district; she attended high school at the time several years ago. I can remember the teacher saying to me, “I teach the lesson, and it is up to the students to learn.” Ironically, this teacher was my teacher in high school as well. I said, “I understand what you are saying to me, but that is not what teaching is all about. I also believe you are confusing her with another student. Can you double-check when you are posting grades?”
I spoke with my daughter about my conversation and told her I expected both of them to improve. On the next test, her score was the highest of all tests given. She needed a little push to empower her.
We have to determine the barriers students may be facing and why they disengage. What can we do to support and remove barriers? Not only identify barriers for students but staff as well.
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