Feel the Fire

This is an expression that I, the coach, often used to inspire and motivate my student-athletes. It was my belief that if you could find the passion of the moment then you would not only experience joy in what you were doing, you would also experience the success in what you were doing. This battle cry seemed to catch-on with the students and I began to hear it in the halls at school, “Hey Shank, do you feel the fire?” My instant reply would be, “Always.” As this credo edged into my classroom, I saw an immediate connection to my own excitable instructional style, but I saw more of an implication of this in the learning of content. Passion for math. I had it. Did my students?

We have all taught kids that we knew would grow up and do great things. From the moment we meet them there is just something about them that make them stand out from all the other kids. They would never settle for just average. They always have to be the best at everything. Whenever we assign a project they always have to go above and beyond what the other kids do. Whenever they are in PE they have to score the most baskets or run the furthest as well as the fastest. It’s never really a competition with other students, but a competition within themselves. They want to do better than they did the last time. They have ambition. They have drive. But above all else, they have passion.

Can you guess where I’m heading with this? That’s right. Not all of our students come to us with this innate zest for learning. We have to teach the kids we have, not the kids we want. So I searched for ways that we, as teachers, can help all of these other students find their passion. I found many great discussions and lots of great ideas. Here is just a sample of what I read from various teacher blogs and articles.
• Discovering one's passion is provoked by allowing students to make mistakes and find what they like through experimental learning.
• Educators must take genuine interest in students & get to know them before being able to encourage toward passions.
• Don't be afraid to invest a little extra time with them or for them. Sorry, but teaching isn't 9am-5pm. (I think that is why I see so many of you taking books and papers home. ;>)
• Passion entails risk, so we must create an environment where risk-taking and mistakes are ok.
• PBL is an avenue we use. Many call it problem/project based learning but it could easily be passion based learning.
• Sometimes I think we squash passion in the name of "order.” Let's not be afraid of "messy" education.
• Educators must model a passion for personal learning by regularly talking about what they themselves are learning.

Here are some of my thoughts...

Is it the job of the educator to find the passion for the student? Absolutely not. Is it the job of the teacher to crush the passions of our kids? Absolutely not. Alright, so maybe the way I just asked those two questions was a little harsh, but we all have probably experienced an educator who stifled a student’s passion for one thing or another. If we look at this as a continuum, with answers to the questions at either end a resounding, “NO,” then where should we strive to be?

I think that it depends on the individual child. The thing with passion is that sometimes kids don't really know what their passion is. That is when it takes an educator with an eye for identifying it. The key is to provide opportunities in the classroom that allow a student to explore and expand their understanding.

Some students need more help in finding their passion. A classroom that offers choice with assignments, different and varied assessment tools, and a global connection helps the passion.

I see passion in every classroom at AAK. But looking regionally and even statewide, I feel as educators, in order to help students find their passion, we have to have passion ourselves. We have to have passion for our job and the work we are doing. But above all else we have to have passion for those kids we have and make it known each and every day that we have passion for our teaching. We have to make sure we create environments that are comfortable for learning new things and safe enough for kids to make mistakes. And maybe then our kids will begin to discover what they really care about.

Thank you for Feeling the Fire in what you do. Thank you for providing our students with opportunities to experience this passion for learning.

Have a great weekend