Power in the Struggle

My fitness coaches at Orange Theory consistently tell us that at the peak of our physical exhaustion, our strength resides. When we are sprinting all out on the treadmill and all we want to do is hit stop or slow down, they remind us that our struggle is where we get faster, better and stronger (and harder to kill). When the last rep on the weight floor feels like our arm is on fire and falling off, we know we'll be able to lift heavier the next time around. After being a part of this gym for four years, I definitely agree with them. In my struggle, I've gained my power. In that power, I've gained my strength. This mentality pushes me in other aspects of my life, especially in how I teach. A piece of advice when teaching kids something new?

Let kids struggle.

No, I mean it. Let them struggle. Seriously, it's important.

You're probably thinking, "Wow, that's kind of aggressive. Why would I want to set kids up to fail?" You might also be thinking, "Kendall didn't start this post on a high note, I should probably stop while I'm ahead." I can see how you'd think those things after reading that statement, but I promise you there's more to this perspective you need to understand. Keep reading, please!

Let kids struggle.

It's a phrase many of us hear and automatically want to disagree with, and for good reason too. We as educators commit ourselves to bettering the academic, personal, and social-emotional lives of our students every day. It's our job to assist and guide our students to help them grasp what we are trying to teach so that they feel accomplished when they finally make that connection. We never want to give up on our students, so we always show up for them and we always give them the tools they need. However, we need to give them the ability to struggle, for there's power in that challenge.

Children depend on us for a variety of needs, and we try as hard as we can to fill those needs for them. If we constantly fill those needs without allowing them time to learn how to fill it themselves, they'll become dependent on us to fill those needs every time. Kids are put at a disadvantage if they aren't able to learn how to do something on their own. It's imperative to let them struggle so that they can become stronger in their own abilities.

Kindergarteners focus heavily on learning how to write their name when they first come to school. In order to provide ample practice, I give them a laminated name card that they can trace with dry erase markers. Not only is it a major paper saver, but kids can practice their name repeatedly and build that muscle memory. Repetition allows our brain to remember things more easily. When kids retain knowledge, they then learn how to apply it themselves.

One of my students this year came in not knowing how to write their name in any capacity. No first letter, or even an attempt at a letter. While not totally uncommon at that age, we needed to get that fixed! I presented all students with the laminated name card and discussed how to use it. When it was time to practice, this student immediately shut down. They lamented over and over how they couldn't do it and they didn't even want to try it. Turning on my "teacher mode," I modeled, guided and encouraged them on how to trace their name. The student continued to show frustration and refused to try, so I gave them space and decided to come back around after they'd had a break. While I waited, I checked on other students, commended them for trying their best and working hard on something so challenging. I came back to the original student and once more encouraged them to try and see what happens. Nothing happened at first, but after a few minutes, the student picked up their dry erase marker and began tracing the letters of their name, slowly and carefully. I'll be honest, there were some grunts, groans and whines while this happened. I'm no fairytale teacher, so let's not pretend fireworks went off and a choral of singers started singing. HOWEVER, I celebrated their effort and shared my excitement over their success. It was a step in the right direction!

A few days have passed since that frustrating name activity, and I'll let you know the current status: the student can free hand four letters of their name now. HECK YES!! Sure, it's not their full name, but remember when they didn't even want to trace those letters? Their progress is a HUGE success! Their struggle became their power, and their power became their strength.

Let kids struggle.

Now, we don't want to preach about not helping students, or how letting them struggle is the only way to go about teaching something new. That's not the point I'm trying to make. What I'm preaching here is the long-term impact of letting kids struggle and the power that comes from that challenge. Allowing kids time to struggle is part of what creates independent drive, inspires motivation and encourages perseverance (hmm, sounds like a blog tagline I know). Struggling shows that we are attempting to improve ourselves and surpass that of which we are capable.

So why not let kids struggle? Why not increase their "treadmill speed" or give them that "heavier weight" to hold? There's power in that struggle, and that struggle paves the way for their own, personal strength.

~Kendall

Sharing Perspective. Encouraging Perseverance.