Getting Students Excited About Learning

I know you’ve been to a restaurant or store where you may not have had the best experience. The employees seemed put off by your mere presence. You were an inconvenience. And even if you were able to get some support, you almost felt bad for asking for service.

Or maybe, once you browsed the menu or the store, you realized that the selection was so limited that there was nothing there for you.

In cases like this, my guess is that you didn’t go back. Why would you? You don’t want to spend time somewhere you don’t feel welcome.

Sadly, many of our children don’t feel welcome at their school. The curriculum and expectations are the same for every student, no matter their interests or their learning style.

That makes for a challenging day for the students who don’t fit the mold. (And spoiler alert: No one truly fits the mold because we’re all so uniquely different.)

That's what school is like for too many.

There’s little worse than being told what you have to do, when you have to do it, and how. And especially when kids are involved, they’re pretty good at digging in their heels and refusing. Ask any parent or teacher!

But we’re still telling kids what they have to learn, how they have to learn it, and when. We’re doing a disservice to them and, frankly, to the teachers who have to follow the prescribed curriculum.

Thank goodness teachers like Tanya King, a recent guest on the podcast, exist. Teachers who are using data and proven strategies to break the mold and truly get students excited about learning. Tanya, an award-winning 6th grade teacher in Washington state, champions the idea of letting go of control and letting students lead their own learning. 

And what she’s doing works! With kids regularly making two school years’ of progress while in her care, they’re no longer missing school or checking out mentally because they’re bored or uninspired. She takes inspiration to the next level.