A Way to Compare Themselves with Others...

by mojmir_ch

"Students given marks are likely to see it as a way to compare themselves with others."
Working Inside the Black Box; Black et al. (2004)

This picture inspires in me a sense of equality among the husky dogs. The dogs are not concerned with comparing themselves with one another, nor are they concerned with being faster, bigger or stronger. They look like they are happy to both be huskies and both be experiencing life together, albeit from a different perspective and a unique point of view.

My biggest concern with young people is that I hope they do not compare themselves to others. I wish my students would worry about being the best that they can be as opposed to being the best, period. Furthermore, I hope that they see the possibility of becoming better than they are right now, that they don't see themselves as being stuck in the same position they are in right now.

I try my best not too give too much emphasis on THE MARK - I try to give corrections, comments and the opportunity to redo work, with the hopes that the students will work to improve on their work rather than just worry about being "good" or "not good" once they reach a certain mark.

In a perfect world, the students would see one-another as sharing the same journey - a journey toward becoming the best that they can be, not only in French class or Math class, but in life...in respecting others and doing their best, regardless of the natural ability they were born with or perhaps even the challenges that they've faced in their lives (schooling or not) so far.

Because at the end of the day, all human beings share the same journey - a journey toward finding our place in the world, a journey toward finding meaning in life and a journey toward loving ourselves. I share in that same journey with the students and in some ways that makes us equals...so I want to help! I want them to love themselves and to try their best...I don't want them to think about "80%" or "50%" when the look in the mirror. I want them to think that they're individuals that have value in the world and that I believe in them and give them a chance even when they haven't done anything to earn it and sometimes may not deserve it...

But unfortunately it seems as though there are a lot of students who just care about seeing "80%" and "50%" in the mirror, and then they're willing to stay stuck in that box. Rather than sharing in the journey toward individuality and seeing their education - not necessarily their marks, but the experience - as something that will help them find their place in the world, they see their classmates, their teacher and the content as an obstacle to finding meaning in life ("What a waste of time!" and "This is so boring!" and "Why are you reading us a novel? This is so stupid!").

How can we get students to see education as an experience which can help enrich their lives and allow them the opportunity to grow and develop as people?

(For the record: I think polynomials and French grammar can help you find meaning in life, but then again that's probably why I'm a teacher...).