“It’s got to hurt for change to take place.” … Jillian Michaels
I received Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred exercise DVD in the mail yesterday. I excitedly changed into workout clothes – I use that term loosely (shorts, t-shirt, and wool socks are my workout clothes), put the DVD in the player, laid down a blanket for a mat and grabbed a couple of jars of spaghetti sauce to use as weights. I was ready! That was the longest 20 minutes of my life. It should be a clue when the coach uses jumping jacks as a warm-up! I was dying as I tried desperately to keep up with the lunges and arm weights at the same time. The video goes through three circuits of cardio, weights, and ab exercises – three circuits in 20 minutes! After the second circuit, I couldn’t go on and turned my back to the TV as I started to walk toward (what else?) the kitchen. Just then, Jillian firmly calls out, “Don’t give up now! I know it’s hard. I know you’re hurting. It’s got to hurt for change to take place! Now is not the time to give up. Let’s finish strong!” It felt as if she were standing in my living room. I got back to work and finished the workout as strong as I could.
Those words came to me this morning as two of my students were led away to be suspended by the Dean because they skipped detention that I had assigned to them for laying their heads down in class. I have made it a class rule –
Do NOT put your head down in this class – not during SSR, not ever.
Head Down = Detention
Detention = Pick up Trash Outside
Still, the students put their heads down in class. So, punishment is rendered. I am frustrated. They are passively disrespectful and it will drive me crazy if I let it.
I hear Jillian’s words echoing in my mind, “It’s got to hurt for change to take place.” That applies to my students, but even more so to me. This is painful for them – to have a teacher who has high expectations, to have a teacher who doesn’t give in and give up and just show movies while they sleep. It’s going to hurt, but they will change.
This is even more painful for me, I’m sure. I am changing. I can feel it. I hope it’s a good change.
Having spent time in Kwethluk and other Y-K Delta villages, I'm wondering about those students who are putting their heads down in your class. What's going on for them at home? Are they sleeping? Able to sleep? What kinds of disruption, if any, are they living with? It might be that they're being disrespectful, but it might also be something else. Too many village kids lead very complicated lives.
ReplyDeleteOh, absolutely, most of it has to do with their home life. I still don't think that gives a student an excuse to put their head down in class after being told repeatedly to sit up. We all go to work sleepy, not feeling well, etc. However, putting one's head down on their desk is simply not an option. It's a life skill that they need to learn. Most of the kids with serious issues at home see school as a safe haven and if they are overly tired, they'll ask to go to the office where they can lie down. The ones who do put their heads down in class are just being lazy and insubordinate, for the most part.
ReplyDeleteMy life, as a teenager, was horribly complicated, too. However, I understood that a rule was a rule. I was respectful and I never expected special treatment or pity. There is entirely too much learned helplessness here. If they don't learn how to behave appropriately at home, then they are going to learn how to do it in my class, at least.