Success is the Result of Effort

Some students breeze through school with minimal effort because they know that they will just pass. Others try as hard as they can, but never seem to do as well as those special students who do not try and still get better grades. It is hard to show these students that they are only getting out of school what they put into it. Those students who are striving, while they may still be behind, are improving and learning new skills. Those who do not put forth the effort and skate by, are gaining nothing new and are not improving themselves. Goal setting for each student is incredibly important. Every student deserves one years' growth in a years' time. It is up to the teacher to show the student that their efforts are worth it and their success comes directly from how much effort they put into it. In field, I had a student who was doing pretty well in school. Most things came naturally for this student. He was always the first one done with homework and it was always done correctly. At first, I beamed and was so incredibly proud of how much effort he put into school, but then I realized, he wasn't putting forth effort. This boy was incredibly smart and was not being challenged at all. I started giving him more challenging questions and asking him to explain his thinking more. At first he was resistant because he didn't want to do more work than he had to, but he warmed up to it once he realized that class didn't have to be boring for him and he could learn new things still. I also had another student in that same class who struggled at everything he did. He sat next to the boy who succeeded at everything and it was incredibly hard for him to see he didn't do as well. I began to work closer with him too. I told him every student in this class has different goals and the only thing that matters is how much effort he put into doing the best he could do. We began to set goals for his homework and I encouraged his input in our goal making. I wanted it to be challenging, but I also did not want him to get frustrated and give up, as he was prone to do. We made a little progress and his attitude was beginning to turn around. Just in time for me to leave, as it always seems to be. Showing students that they can be successful in school, no matter where they are at academically is so important for their continuous desire for learning and their self-confidence.