Redemption

When I typed the title, I was thinking of my students' having redeemed themselves by showing up today, but perhaps I redeemed myself as well. I was angry and annoyed with that group of students -- not all of them, but a significant number -- but I took the high road in my communication to them, and it paid off. Certainly it's one of those "chicken-and-the-egg" type situations. Did they perform/behave better because I had been compassionate in conveying my expectations (without mentioning my displeasure), or did I have a more positive attitude and focus on the good rather than the bad? Whichever was the case (or even if it was a bit of both) today was my best class session with this group so far. Several students approached me after class to tell me it had been a great class, and I would have to agree. Not only did I have extremely extensive plans -- three hours is a really long time to be informative, compelling and engaging -- but I got into my groove and moved seamlessly from one topic to the next. I pulled out my bag of tricks (which aren't really tricks, just lived-and-learned techniques), and apparently managed to use them well.

While I know student engagement is important in education, I detest the idea of "edutainment". However, I do think I can be entertaining while educating, and it's hard to explain the difference. I will not design some song and dance routine to attract their overstimulated minds. That's just not me, although I have seen it work well for a few brilliant educators. My kind of entertaining tends to be more subtle, but the good part of that is students have to pay attention to catch it, and they seem to like it. As for the attendance (absences, late entrances, early departures), I now consider that to be out of my hands, and I told the students today that I wouldn't talk (or write) about it anymore. They get to choose their success or failure in the class. And having told them my thoughts on the subject, I am now at peace with it. I won't be angry or annoyed anymore. At least not about that.