By Michelle George

    I was eating lunch in the faculty lounge yesterday, and the signs of pre-spring break doldrums were obvious. My colleagues, who are truly professionals and dedicated to the work they do, were bemoaning the attitude of “students today.” It does seem to me that this is the time of year when students seem less motivated, more indolent, and unwilling to really dig in and do the hard work that education often requires. As I sat munching and nodding, I began to wonder how much of that attitude is reflecting, or possibly even originating from, ourselves?

    I often dread the short, cold days just before spring, and feel less than appreciated. I sometimes catch myself sharing that melancholy with my classes. In fact, just last week when my students were less than engaged in the activity, I found myself regressing to the martyr mode. While a few students kept up a personal conversation, I stood stoically at the front of the class radiating my disapproval.

    The problem was that my students weren’t fazed at all—at least not the ones who were misbehaving. They were more than content to let me indulge my inner piety as long as they could continue their chat. I then digressed even further from my planned lesson to chastise the entire group on the misbehavior and point out how much valuable educational time we were wasting. The result was that the behaving students felt guilty, the misbehaving students felt annoyed, I felt ineffectual, and valuable learning did not occur. It was time for a do-over.

    I’ve been reflecting all weekend on that wasted time, and I have a plan for a different approach. It’s nothing new; it’s more of a remembering of the basics.

   I’m going to begin with clear expectations. We spent a week at the start of the year establishing clear expectations. I think it’s time I remind my students and myself of exactly why we are in class together and how we are all expected to behave in this setting. I’m thinking I might review it in a fun way, perhaps borrowing one of those quirky YouTube videos that some more energized teacher produced for his class.

    Next I’m going to expect my students to fulfill those expectations; I mean truly believe that they will fulfill those expectations. The research supporting positive teacher expectations is astounding. Just take a look at studies like those by Robert Rosenthal. He’s the guy who found amazing connections between teacher expectations and student results. Think phrases like “self-fulfilling prophecy.” What we as teachers believe is powerful juju.

    I can also help my students meet those expectations by acknowledging when they get it right rather than waiting for them to get it wrong. My mentor teacher long ago taught me a low-tech trick to keep me on the right path. She put a wide elastic band around her wrist. Every time she made a negative comment to a student, she had to mark the band. For every mark she strove to make at least four positive and legitimate comments on her students’ behavior. She didn’t settle for “nice haircut” or “You are such a good kid.” Her positive comments had to be specific and relevant. She would say things like, “I’m glad you have your pencil sharpened and ready to work” or “I appreciate the way you stuck with it and read that story even though it was difficult.” Her students knew she was sincere, and they quickly learned what it was that she wanted to see from them. They were instructed and rewarded at the same time.

    Lastly I’m going to quietly redirect those students who are off-task rather than stopping the class and rewarding them with a few minutes of undivided attention. I have to find ways to make their off-task behavior a lot less rewarding. Physical proximity is often enough to get most kids back on track without taking away from the real work of the classroom.

    I’m hoping that by making expectations clear, looking for and reinforcing students who are doing it right, and rerouting lost energy can pull myself and my students out of the doldrums and into the energy of spring. Maybe that’s a bit too much Pollyanna. Perhaps I’ll just aim for a day at a time, a class at a time. Thankfully, spring break has arrived!

    Michelle S. George is a language arts middle school teacher in Orofino, Idaho. She has a B.A. in English and secondary certification in English, reading, and journalism. Michelle has been teaching seventh and eighth grade for 20 years, and still loves going to school, as a teacher and a student. She has published a variety of lesson plans and written several award-winning grants.