The Master Teacher Blog

The Master Teacher Blog
Providing you, the K-12 leader, with the help you need to lead with clarity, credibility, and confidence in a time of enormous change.
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Debate: What if We Refused to Assume That Students Are Lazy?

Thinking Frames

Debate: What if We Refused to Assume That Students Are Lazy?

Refusing to assume that students are lazy may seem like a preposterous proposition. If we apply the common definition of laziness to the behavior of some students—procrastination, taking shortcuts, failing to follow through—we might conclude that there is a perfect match. However, labeling a student as lazy has some serious downsides.

Once we decide that a student is lazy, we often feel that there is no need to search further to understand their behavior. Yet, what we are seeing may be the result of a variety of factors, pressures, and circumstances. We also risk blaming the student for a problem that may not be their fault.

Laziness is often assumed to be a character trait, but no scientific research identifies laziness as an element of someone’s character. Further, punishing laziness does not make students more motivated, conscientious, or committed to learning. The behaviors of procrastination—taking short cuts and a lack of follow-through—may look like laziness, but they may be the result of something that is addressable and fixable. Labeling students as lazy cuts off the need to inquire, blames the student, and may allow us to feel that we do not have to do more.

On the other hand, if we refuse to assume laziness as the cause of student behavior, we open the door to ask some important questions: What is driving the behavior? What about the task associated with the behavior may be contributing to the conduct? Is there something else going on that drives the behavior we are observing?

We also might ask: What are the consequences of being wrong? If we assume the student is lazy and there is something else at play that is holding the student back, we will have squandered an opportunity to make a difference. We may also brand the student in ways that become self-fulfilling prophecy. If we assume the student is not lazy, when they actually are, we can still learn more about the student, uncover possible ways to make them less lazy, and we may even plant some seeds that take root and grow in the future.

So, what opportunities lie in refusing to assume that students are lazy?

  • We move from blaming the student’s character to exploring what may be causing the behavior.
  • We look beyond the student’s behavior and try to learn and understand the back story of their choices.
  • We move from making assumptions about the student toward understanding their perspective, experience, and life circumstances.
  • We lessen our focus on compliance and look for ways to make and strengthen our connection with the student.
  • We become less occupied with punishing and more focused on problem-solving.
  • We leverage the power of our positive assumptions to lift our expectations and strengthen our support.

We may discover that some difficult realities underlie what appears to be laziness. The student may lack underlying skills that need to be strengthened. They may fail to see relevance or challenge in what we are asking them to learn. They may have failed so many times that they lack confidence in their potential to succeed. They may fear what friends would think if they began to behave as though they care. Of course, the list of learning-related challenges could go on. Yet, these are issues about which we can usually do something to make the situation better and increase opportunities for success.

We may also find that what is causing the behavior lies beyond the student’s experience in school and our ability to intervene. We may need to enlist the efforts and support of others in the student’s life. We might need to recruit professionals within and beyond the school to intervene and provide support. While we may not be able to solve these issues, our interest, concern, and support can make a determinative difference to the student and lead to shifts in behavior and a stronger relationship with us.

It may seem that laziness is straightforward behavior. However, upon examination, there is often much more to the situation than first appears. Only when we go beyond making assumptions and drawing conclusions are we able to understand, intervene, and make the difference that can change a life.

Five Reflection Activities Perfect for Personal Renewal

Relationships and Connections, Thinking Frames

Five Reflection Activities Perfect for Personal Renewal

Now can be a good time to pause and reflect on the current state and preferred direction of our lives and work. With distance from day-to-day professional pressures, problems, and other stressors, we can gain some perspective and consider the larger picture within which we live each day.

Of course, it can be helpful to have some structure to engage in this sort of reflection. Having a sense of where to look and what to consider can help us to be more efficient and gain greater clarity. Whether you are personally looking for self-reflection activities, an administrator looking to engage your teachers in professional development sessions, or a teacher looking for opportunities to have your students work on self-reflection, here are five reflection activities that can be good places to start.

Our Personal Mount Rushmore

A useful initial activity can be to reflect on who would have a place on our personal Mount Rushmore. Like the actual Mount Rushmore, we might identify the people who have helped us to become who we are. Selecting just four or so people might be a challenge, but the idea is to limit inclusion to those who have had an outsized influence. We might also consider what it is about these people that make them worthy of such a place of honor and influence.

Our Personal Board of Directors 

Another activity is to reflect on who is or should be on our personal “Board of Directors.” In this activity, we might identify people in our lives who have the greatest influence on our decisions, provide support, and give us guidance. This activity can help us to be more aware of who is having an impact on our lives in real time. Of course, our reflection might also reveal that we need more people on our board of directors and/or that there may be people on our board of directors who may not be giving us good advice or providing support and who should be removed and replaced.

Our “True North”

This reflection is to identify who in our lives helps us to find our way through uncertain times. They may be the person or persons to whom we turn when we face a moral dilemma. They may be a source of wisdom on which we depend. Or they may provide the emotional support we need to think clearly and decide where to focus. They may not be the person who tells what to do as much as help us to figure out what is best.

Our Life Movie Cast

In this reflection, we imagine that we were making a movie of our lives and need to “cast” it with people who have played various roles in our life story. Who might be the supporting actor or actors? Is there a hero or heroine other than you? Who would provide comic relief? Who fits the role of mentor or guide? Might you identify an antagonist? The idea behind this reflection is to consider the narrative of our life and who is influencing it in what ways and to surface “plot shifts” we might want to make.

Our Shield of Safety

We also have people in our lives who make us feel safe. In this reflection, we might consider who we deeply trust. Who makes us feel seen when we feel invisible? Who makes us feel valued when we doubt ourselves? Who is there for us when we feel vulnerable and need reassurance? These are special people in our lives, especially when we most need support and protection.

This series of reflections may help us to better appreciate those in our lives who have had or are having an outsized influence. They are people who make us who we are. We also may have identified some people we have taken for granted or who may not know what they mean to us. Now is a great time to reach out and let them know how important and special they are. Don’t delay!

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