Get the wind to your back

 

I was playing golf with a friend on an extremely windy day, and my friend hit a tremendous drive into the wind.  When I told him how amazed I was that he could hit the ball that far into the wind, he replied, “Golf is much easier when you have the wind to your back.” He was right because even I could hit it relatively far with the wind to my back.

The difference the wind makes started me thinking about how to get the wind to my students’ backs. What situations can we put students in to make their job of learning and studying easier? As I was thinking about this idea, I came across some research about studying with phones.

Students who studied with their phones face up next to them (more about research) received lower grades than those who put their phones somewhere outside the room where they were studying. When I surveyed my students, only 5% of them put their phones in another room. This was so unusual that other students seriously questioned the honesty of those responses.

The good news, however, is that most of my students do not study with their phones face up next to them. Most of them have their phones face down or—even better—face down and out of reach.

My advice to my students: Just put the phone somewhere outside your room or give it to someone else. Not only will you score better on your tests, but you will also decrease the amount of time you need to study.

The challenge to all of us is when we need to focus: We must get rid of our phones. Feel the nice breeze to your back as you put the phone in another room and watch your productivity increase.

As always, your comments and feedback are welcome.

Welcome back

 

I was eating lunch with a couple of friends I had not seen in a long time. After about 10 minutes of conversation, one of my friends asked me when I was going to retire. At my age, I get that question often, but I am never ready to respond.

This past year was one of my favorite years of teaching.  I had some students who struggled at the start of the year but kept coming for help. What impressed me most about these guys: Even when they did not show improvement in their grades, they continued to work hard. It is easy to be gritty when things are going well, but it truly shows your character when you keep working hard without immediate results.

On the other side of the ledger, it was awesome to see some of my strongest students work hard to explain complex problems to their classmates. What was great was that these student work groups helped everyone improve. At the end of the year, we ended up with one of the strongest groups of students in my teaching career.

This summer, I spent time talking with some of the best educators I know. When I left these conversations, I was excited to implement these ideas into my classroom this year. What I love about teaching is that you are on a continuous journey to improve.

With the above in mind, I have never been more excited to be a teacher. The start of each year brings on new challenges, new students, and a fresh start. It is great to wake up every morning and love going to work.

PS. This year's students are off to an amazing start.