Stay Positive

Last year I recall being fairly stubborn when it came to something that Ari said about having faith in all of her kids, even the most brazenly defiant, that they can do great things.  With TFAY2 1/4 finished, I have been leaning more heavily on positivity in the classroom as a method of 'discipline'.  I am fed up with the absurd power struggles that go on between every person at my school, every second of the day.  I dont' want to continue presenting a false front as a tough guy disciplinarian because it doesn't work.  It runs a bit deeper than being fed up, though; I think I'm realizing students won't change paths in life unless they start believing in their own ability to get things done.

One eighth grader in my class, JL, is a student who I had last year.  He's a good soccer player and a capable student when he chooses to perform tasks.  He's a likable guy.  At the same time, he is totally erratic in class, in the hallways, and everywhere in between.  Simply put - he does what he wants.  JL, though, frequently does things that teachers intimidate him into doing with their physical presence or straight up threats.  That's not really how I operate, and when I have tried to operate that way, it didn't work.  This year with JL, I'm trying to be shower him with praise at every opportunity I get.  I want him to be sick of me telling him how good of a job he is doing, even if it's only for focused behavior that lasts for 30 seconds.

Last year, I specifically was thinking of JL when Ari was telling us we should believe that all of our kids can do well and that they need reinforcement and hope.  With JL, I get glimpses of the good student he can be.  The last expository essay that he wrote (yes, he sometimes does his work) was light years better than the essay he wrote back in August, despite his goose egg in he homework column for the whole year.  JL gets ripped into by teachers every day - his science teacher told me she was in his face the other day giving him the business (a different business than lil wayne's).  I used to be all about that approach too, but realized it was doing anything to get JL to change his act. 

I'm taking the positivity approach because I believe he needs it.  He doesn't get it from teachers, he doesn't get it from his mother and step father, and he doesn't get it from the bilingual counselor.  They've given up on him or have chosen to take the hard line approach.  I also believe he can choose to do his work well while following standard school etiquette, instead of his own etiquette.  I see it here and there and now I've just got to make him realize that he can do that  more often.  It hasn't worked yet, but I've got something like 130 days to keep trying.