Is it, sometimes, important to throw caution to the
wind?
Yesterday was NWEA testing day. All of my students were tested, from the
students in my college prep classes to the students in my workshop class, which
goes more slowly. Prior to taking them to
complete their test, I paced in front of classroom, detailing the game plan,
the importance of taking their time, and the fact that they were going to work
their hardest. I knew, KNEW, they could
do it.
Think Robin Williams and Carpe Diem…!
I at least inspired the woman who runs our computer lab and
proctored the test.
After taking my first class to the lab, I stood with her as
she gave instructions and told them to take their time and do their best. When she finished, I threw my fist in the air
and yelled, “GO BIG OR GO HOME!”
Yup! Inspired her to
nearly jump out of her skin! I couldn’t
help but notice she started to walk away from me prior to finishing her pep
talk in the subsequent classes. By the
way, don’t all teachers yell, “GO BIG OR GO HOME!” prior to standardized
testing?
After that enthusiastic challenge, I said, “And, ….” Dramatic pause…. “You’re going big, because there’s no going
home.”
They chuckled, but they also settled down in their seats, as
if going to battle.
Were they
victorious?
Heck, yes!
In that first class alone, three of the workshop students gained
as many as 10, 15, and 17 points, which is huge. HUGE.
When we got back to the classroom, we didn’t have much time
left until the end of class. One of the
students, the 10 pointer, was still finishing up. We rewarded the others with a snack. I…. I
decided to throw caution to the wind. I
asked my para if she’d mind staying with the kids for a few minutes and pulled
the students who went up by 15 and 17 points.
Once in the hall, I told them we were going to tell the principal about their
test scores and off we went.
As an aside, I next to never send students to the office
much less escort them there myself. My
marching into the office with two boys was, perhaps, a bit of a shock.
Into the principal’s office we walked, after I said, “Knock,
knock,” at the door.
“I have two young men who have to see you. Two boys you need to see,” I explained.
To say that the principal almost
fell out of his chair when we walked in and I said that would be an
understatement. He even, literally,
grabbed his head as if the world was about to end.
“They weren’t naughty,” I added hastily.
He looked at me as if I was off my rocker and asked, “They
weren’t naughty?”
“No, they weren’t. But, these boys did something and …. Boys, go ahead. Tell him what you just did.”
Silence …. The boys
looked at the principal. The principal
looked at me.
The principal, looking queasy, said, “Go ahead, boys. What did you do?”
“Ummm…. We just took
our test ….”
“The NWEA,” I added.
“And, … ummmm … I went up by 17 points and he went up by
15.”
Thankfully, our principal has a sense of humor and is
willing to play along, deciding to go big instead of home. He praised the boys up and down, asked them
questions, and told them they’d done a great job. Then, he looked at me ….
“Well, ….” I said.
“The boys didn’t seem to be as excited as I thought they should be. This is amazing! I wanted to bring them down here and let them
know how amazing this is and for you to be able to tell them they’re
incredible.”
“Well, well … they are.”
I grabbed my head and said, “Academic wonderment! Let’s go, boys!”
Then, off we went, marching back out of the office and down
the hall. I couldn’t help but notice the
administrative assistant was laughing as we flew past her.
After telling my parents this tale, my mother asked how the
boys reacted.
They took it in stride.
That’s all I can say.
No fists thrown in the air.
No smiles, though one had twinkly eyes.
No talk of being nervous or shocked that they’d done that well or
….
It was as if it was simply … expected.
Throwing caution to the wind….
Giving pep talks, expecting the moon, and yelling like a coach at a homecoming
game can lead to …
Victory … and … taking it in stride.
Dichotomy?
No, not so much.
Copyright 2013 -> Shannon
