Last month Tanguy Pepiot, a University of Oregon senior from
France, built a healthy lead and thought that his victory in the 3,000-meter
steeplechase was secure. His
final kick slowed as he waved his arm, urging the crowd to celebrate with him,
and he was clipped at the finish line by University of Washington’s Meron Simon.
"I'm not proud of myself right now...." a dejected Pepiot said.
"Next time I'll just run the whole final stretch and celebrate in
the victory lap." The margin of
victory was one-tenth of a second.
There is no “next time”
in the education of our students, and those in high-poverty stand to lose the
most when learning opportunities are not seized. I’ll always
remember a student’s response when I asked if he was looking forward to the
pending vacation. Without hesitation or self-pity he calmly stated,
“I’d rather be here.” The message was clear – my reality was not his
reality; school was preferable to home and learning trumped what waited for him
over the break.
The author of Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell,
tells us that the opportunity gap between poorer and richer students expands
during summer vacation. This is affirmed in a December 2014 report,
commissioned by the Wallace Foundation, which shows that, on average, students
lose a month of learning time in math and reading during the long break, and
this figure doubles for children in poverty. This knowledge makes it even more
apparent that our bell-to-bell teaching approach must extend to the very last
days of the school year.
We must combine high expectations and support thought the entire
school year, and the post high-stakes testing time is ripe with
opportunity. Take
advantage of it and create experiences for students to extend their learning
through the end of the year. The
May 2015 ASCD Education Update lists the following ideas for
finishing the year strong:
1) Write Notes to Future Classes: Prompt students to “pay it
forward” with notes and tips for future students on how to be successful in
school.
2) Help with Financial Plans: Partner with a local credit
union to introduce high school students to the importance of saving and
services available to them.
3) Let Students Be Teachers: Have your students teach a
class. Break them into small groups and provide support as they prepare to
present on pre-approved topics.
4) Create Student Videos: Partner students and have
them outline, write, and film themselves for your class. These can include what they have
learned throughout the course, recreations of historic speeches, favorite
memories, or even a student lesson…all of which could be uploaded and shown as
exemplars to future students.
5) Plan a Panel Session: Organize groups of students
to research and present on a topic or debate pros and cons with another student
panel.
6) Have Students Evaluate Your
Class and Work:
Demonstrate that student voice is important and practice life-long
learning. Gather feedback
on the course and seek feedback on what you can do to refine your craft.
One of the greatest end-of-the-year lessons can only be taught
by example, as actions speak louder than words. As we live our professional standards
each day and prepare relevant, student-centered lessons, we show students the
following:
— what we do is important
— we value you and your time with us,
— we know that you have strength and potential, and
— we’re not going to give up on you.
These messages reaffirm our reasons for being in education, and,
as we run our final stretch, our
drive and commitment makes a difference to those who matter most. It’s essential for all of us –
teachers, principals, and district staff – to finish our year strong, as our
victory lap occurs after all of our students cross the line...no
matter where they place in the race.
