Sometimes I hear versions of this:

(Random summer thoughts. Day 4.)

“Matt is an awesome student.” Or: “Matt is lazy.”

“Illinois is a great advisory in math class.” Or: “Illinois doesn’t care about my class.”

“I love 2024.” Or: “2024, they’re okay.” Or: “2024 is the worst.”

We, as teachers, make a lot of sweeping statements about kids (and groups of kids) to other teachers and to other kids and to their families.

(I won’t lie — I make these comments too; hopefully many more of the comments on the left than the comments on the right.)

More and more, I’ve come to realize that these statements say very little about the kids (or the groups of kids). Rather, they say a great deal about our mindsets around kids and about our relationships with them.

“Matt is an awesome student.” Probably because you’ve invested him and you see the best in him (and he knows you see the best in him).

“Matt is lazy.” I doubt that. I think all kids want to be successful in school. Maybe you haven’t connected with him yet on an authentic level? (This is what usually holds me back.) Or maybe there is something going on that is deterring him from learning? (If so, figure out what that is.)

“Illinois is a great advisory in math class.” Sweet. You did something (probably multiple, daily [and even minute to minute] somethings) to create these conditions. What did you do so you can replicate it?

“Illinois doesn’t care about my class.” Maybe they don’t yet. You also did something (same parenthetical) to create these conditions. What did you do so you can change shit up?

“I love 2024.” That’s awesome. They can tell.

“2024, they’re okay.” Or: “2024 is the worst.” That sucks. They can tell.

Whatever you believe about a kid (or groups of kids) is usually much more of a honest reflection of you (and your attitude / connections with kids) than them.

To some, this is scary because the majority of responsibility is on us as teachers (and that’s a lot of responsibility).

To others, this is liberating because having the responsibility in the first place means we have agency in how things go with kids.

Kids, it turns out, are generally whatever we want them to be.

If we put in the work (especially in concert with other teachers), they can be “awesome” and “great” and “loved.”

If we don’t, they can be “lazy” or “apathetic” or just “okay” (or “the worst”).

Either way, that’s on us.

Not on them.

p.s. A video about our Summer Jump Program at Rise: