The Quest for the Ultimate Student >>

So I got to thinking (I know it’s amazing news) about how we as teacher spend so much of our time correcting behavior. However, I have never really stopped to think what I’m trying to correct that behavior towards. What I’m saying is that most of the time we know exactly what makes a “bad” kid, but I don’t think I’ve really have sat down to think about what makes a “good” student.

Now without degrading into a pointless discussion about the absurdity of dualism, I think that we spend too much time separating students into categories of good and bad. It’s really a pointless exercise, but I think it’s a natural way of examining our world. With that said, I started thinking about what I believe makes a “good” student and if any of those characteristics can be found in the “bad” ones.

The lines start to blur when I stated to look at it closely. Too be honest I don’t really have bad students. I think that’s just an unproductive way of looking at my students. Good students aren’t really just the opposite of the bad ones (quotes all around). There are good and bad and okay things about each of my students. They’re unique. Even the stereotypes break down when you look at them closely. That’s why I decided to think about the ultimate student. This is the dream kid – the one that’s the best to have but not necessarily the one you like.

The Ultimate Student – My Initial Observations of the “Bad” Students >>
  1. The Assohole >> Yeah that’s right, I really like the assholes. The one that challenge your every assertion. The one that asks to go to the bathroom fifteen times a class even though they know what the answer will be. They keep me on my toes. They make me question every superfluous rule and how absurd they really are. They make me answer the hard questions.
  2. The Know-It-All >> This is the kid that makes you look a fool when you’re supposed to be the expert. I need the know-it -alls to force me to never be satisfied with what I know. If not for them, it would be far too easy to become stagnant. These kids are the reason I need to listen to NPR every morning and visit every art museum I can.
  3. The Quiet Kid >> These kids make me work harder. The ones that volunteer to talk are so easy to pick on, but the quiet ones need the attention too. They just need it in different ways. They’re the puzzles that make teaching interesting.
  4. The Nerdy Kid >> This kid wants to know they’re grade on a minute by minute basis. They make me actually grade stuff on time. It’s so easy to put stuff off, but the nerds make sure you can never procrastinate too long.
  5. The Talker >> This student is my boredom barometer. They let me know when I need to shift gears or take a different approach. I have to stay loose enough to make spontaneous changes.
  6. FES >> The Foreign Exchange Student can be difficult to work with sometimes, but I wish I had one in every class. This student reminds me that there are different cultures than my own. What I might consider the truth is called into question through interaction with other cultures, and I consider myself better for the exchange.

I probably could keep going, but I think I’ll save it for another post. I believe I’ll keep this idea open and revisit it in the future. In the mean time, what “bad” student do you treasure?

Published February 16, 2010 by Nathan

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Comments >>

  1. teachingequals >>

    February 16, 2010 at 2:05 am

    New Post >> The Quest for the Ultimate Student http://teachingequals.com/blog/ultimate-...
    via Twitoaster

  2. Name >>

    February 22, 2010 at 2:14 am

    http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

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