The educational author, Jonathan Kozol writes how there is value in having a classroom filled with work from all students [look at me, using the word ‘work’ Alfie Kohn would be so upset]. I completely agree. But for me, knowing how to fill my classroom is an internal struggle.
I always wanted each child to see how important they were to me; that I valued each for a particular reason. On top of that, I wanted them to see that all of their work, no matter the grade, had value. Now for the students who were always achieving good grades, this wasn’t a problem; but for those who weren’t it could be. Which is where my struggle started. Did I want to crush the self-confidence of a child who didn’t get good grades? Did I want to show my class that I only promoted the students who were academically achieving more (because this is what the school wanted – more academic achievement)? Can having a poor grade posted be a tool for self-improvement? Did I want to stifle my more successful students from doing more? Could I show that learning, and thereby making mistakes, are all just part of the learning process?
These questions – plus about a dozen more – were all going through my head before I set up my first classroom. I really wanted to be the type of educator that put he focus back on learning and equality, and tolerance. BUT I had to balance that with wanting to keep my job; a job that I liked at a school that I wanted to keep working at. And although I was always inspired by the writings of educational gurus, I found myself struggling with how to make those two paradigms flow together (this is actually another part of another internal struggle I had as an educator).
What I finally ended up doing was to have several different types of student work displayed around the room. I had a writing wall that was up all year long, and it had all of the students’ writings up from the beginning of the year to the end. This was to show students their progress in becoming stronger writers. There was a sticker chart that kept the tally of students who received 100%s on math tests. Also, I had a monthly panel where I picked various papers from five different students each month. This was to show a variety of work done in all subject matters. And then I had a monthly display that showed a piece of creative writing, that wasn’t graded. Lastly I had an art shelf that showed the artistic talents of students; the materials there rotated as well.
I don’t know if it was ‘right’ or if I stunted the learning growth of a student; and it was seriously something that I constantly worried about. But, I suppose it shows the very real reality in education, and how there is always room for improvement.
These sound like really great strategies for posting student work. I am always so surprised when I walk into a classroom and a teacher has very little (or nothing) hanging on their walls. The walls of a classroom should be a space to broadcast the achievements of students, and success can be found in every assignment turned in. Even walls covered only with catchy slogans, photos of presidents, and world maps are missing something. As you point out, it builds confidence and encourages improvement when young people see that their teacher celebrate their success. Thanks for posting this piece and the suggestions for posting student work as well. I really liked the idea of tracking 100%.
Thanks. It’s hard to know what to do as a teacher, veteran or new; so I hope that my experiences provide some insight and comfort to others.
These sound like really great strategies for posting student work. I am always so surprised when I walk into a classroom and a teacher has very little (or nothing) hanging on their walls. The walls of a classroom should be a space to broadcast the achievements of students, and success can be found in every assignment turned in. Even walls covered only with catchy slogans, photos of presidents, and world maps are missing something. As you point out, it builds confidence and encourages improvement when young people see that their teacher celebrate their success. Thanks for posting this piece and the suggestions for posting student work as well. I really liked the idea of tracking 100%.
Thanks. It’s hard to know what to do as a teacher, veteran or new; so I hope that my experiences provide some insight and comfort to others.