Leave It To... US

Leave It To... US

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©Google Images 

It's a Wednesday morning. I woke up, poured a large cup of coffee, sat down on the couch, and turned on the television. As I flipped through the channels, a wave of nostalgia filled my head. I decided to turn on the show, "Leave It To Beaver." As I was watching, I observed something that infuriated the depths of my soul. Let me set the scene. 

 Wally, Beaver's older brother, saw a girl outside during school. She is known to be one of the smartest and prettiest girls in the school. 

Wally asked, "How did you do on the exam?" 
The girl replied, "I got a B+, What about you, Wally?" 
Wally replied, "Eh, well, I missed the third question." A look of shamefulness fell upon his face. 

Why? Why do our students have to feel embarrassed and ashamed? I have observed similar situations like this throughout my educational journey. The negative stigma of having "good grades" and getting all the answers "correct" has been a societal norm for years. Students, and sadly educators, have had this mindset that getting a 100% on a multiple choice exam is a sign of high intelligence. Unfortunately, in today's world, this is not good enough. Mindsets ARE changing. It's a MUST.

Let's BUILD THINKERS

Think like an artist. This has been one of my new favorite lines to describe one of my philosophies in teaching and learning. I truly believe students need to think like an artist. What does this mean exactly? Well, it's simple. We are all artists. You might be reading this and pondering the question... I am an artist? Yes, yes you are. We all have a creative outlet that builds upon our thinking. It may look different for each and every one of us. The important thing to remember is that learning is about the process of thinking. It is not about finding the right answer. 

Leave it to... US

Educators are the change. We are the transformation. 

So, what can WE do to help make the shift in this mindset?

First, and foremost, we must believe that we, ourselves, are creative thinkers. We know our students look up to us. They watch closely every action. Our students listen to our words. Think for a moment. What other profession can motivate and engage twenty or more tiny human beings each and every day? Every lesson, every conversation we have with our students, should encourage them to reflect on their thinking. Our conversations must shift from "The correct answer is only B" to "I wonder IF..." or "Tell me more about..." Imagine how powerful these conversations would be. I want to be in THAT classroom. 

Secondly, we must facilitate meaningful conversations within our classrooms. We must teach our students the dialogue they can use to build upon theirs and others thinking. For example, "No, that's not right" must be changed to "That's a very interesting perspective, tell us more about..." We never want to make students feel inferior for their ways of thinking. Dialogue is key. 

Finally, this "think like an artist" mindset is up to us. To reflect, do we want our students to feel like Wally? Do we want students to continue to carry this mindset throughout their educational journeys? NO. We can not let this continue. Leave it to... US to be the change. 

Creatively, 

Cameron Carter 
Twitter: @CRCarter313 

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