Ever sat in a boring faculty meeting or professional development workshop? I’ve had more than my fair share. I can remember how I felt in that very moment but what I don’t recall is what the presenter was saying even if the information was important. Imagine how students feel day after day in a boring class. Are you a teacher who struggles from time to time with engaging your students?

There is no secret that students who live in low-income areas don’t perform as well as their peers who live in more affluent areas. However, students in low-income areas, who have a growth mindset, can perform the same and/or even better than students in higher income areas who have a fixed mindset.

Your students will live up to your expectations whether you set them high or low. So how are you motivating students to reach their full potential? As a student, I would perform better academically for teachers who pushed me and expected more from me. Yes, they got on my last nerve, but in hindsight, they had a greater impact on me than those who seemed to be satisfied with my bare minimum performance. Because these teachers didn’t push, I was satisfied with just getting by, and that is exactly what I did in some classes.

I once posed a question to students as an introduction to The Giver by Lois Lowry. “What would it take to make your world perfect?” The most common answer, no school! School can be boring for many students. Well, let me state that differently, the social aspect for students is the highlight of their school day. It's the sitting in class and the actual learning part that they would rather do without (go figure). Wouldn't it be great to push a button that allows students to obtain all knowledge? I wish I could just pour a fountain of smartness into the little darlings. Maybe in the next lifetime.