Teachable Moment
“Hurry Up” “Slow Down” “Do your best work”
How often have we, as teachers – maybe as parents, said those phrases to our kids? I’m here to report – Lots. But until the other day I just didn’t realize how confusing it could be.
I was working with a student on his homework and I said those phrases, in that exact order to him. Not one right after the other, but within the span of five minutes. After the last one, “Just do your best work,” he sighed and looked at me in frustration. I asked him what was wrong; his reply – “Now I am just confused.” It made me laugh out loud.
How often we as educators use those phrases and don’t realize the impact it has on our kids. I immediately apologized to him and tried to give the best explanation that I could.
It’s really our goal to have our students use each minute of time to their fullest value – which is why we say hurry up. Then with the slow down, we want them to not rush through their work, just doing it to get it done and over with. Which is why we normally end all of that with a self-correcting – do your best work. This one, I feel is the most important I told him. I’m not looking for or expecting perfection I just want to see him living up to his fullest potential and doing the best that HE can do.
Of course to him, it’s something different.
He paused, looked at me, and shook his head. He then replied, “Teachers are confusing.”
I laughed. “You’re right, I guess we are.” And then I asked him, what he thought.
He paused, and said, “Well, I feel like I need to do this stuff, but sometimes I don’t get it right away. But then it makes you upset if I don’t do it fast enough, and then I get more confused…it’s just confusing.”
Not wanting to miss a chance to make a teachable moment, he and I continued to talk about it. I knew, from listening to him, that I wasn’t going to be able to fix it all right now; that like most good things, it was going to take some time to percolate.
But in the end, I think the student learned a bit. And by student, I mean me.