by Terry Heick
Always assume the best in students; At worst, assume there is more to know.
If they fail, assume they tried and want another chance. Suppose they were unaware of what they did not know or did not understand the scale or effects of failure.
If they break a rule, assume they were not aware of the rule. At worst, suppose they had forgotten.
If they say or do something that reflects poorly on them, assume that they are young and still learning to see themselves. Or suppose it’s something you had to say or do just once to learn from it. If they do it again, assume they simply need more time to learn and grow. Of course, you won’t always be right, but the goal of these types of assumptions is not accuracy, but to give children room to grow.
The assumptions you have about your students and why they do what they do are powerful things. And those assumptions often come from a mindset one has about what a teacher is “supposed to do” and what a student is “supposed to do.” They can also create that kind of mentality (here’s 25 Ways to Help Students Create a Growth Mindset). That is, what you assume can affect what you think and believe about teaching and learning. It goes both ways, and assuming the best in students (even when you know intellectually that you are wrong and that the assumption is not true) can transform the tone of your classroom.
See Tone in Teaching: 20 Words That Can Affect the Tone of Your Classroom
Assuming the best in students should not just be a way of thinking, but a way of teaching. It should be reflected in the way you speak (“Since I know how important reading is to you, I’m surprised I haven’t noticed that you’ve read so much this semester.”)
It should be reflected in the way you teach (giving them a second, third, and fourth chance to complete tasks).
It should come up when you talk to parents about their children, and even when you design the next project-based learning unit, assuming the best of their potential and helping them see for themselves what they are capable of.
In the face of pressure to perform, both your own and that of your students, patience can seem like a luxury. As a teacher, you are not paid to be patient or to give infinite opportunities or to display infinite and possibly irrational optimism.
Except you are.
If you need to think about patience and opportunity as bridges to performance, that’s fine. You can also think of it the other way around. We all have a strong temptation to teach lessons to others, but there is a time to understand it that is exceptionally difficult to pin down.
Students’ lives are messy, pressure-filled, and confusing. They are children, even when they are in college. Your childhood is your time to live, learn, fail, learn, succeed and learn. That time never really ends; We are all failing, living, succeeding and learning every day.
But for children, it is an especially sensitive time, as they are developing their sense of self and need support to develop the kind of identity and mindset that will serve them throughout life.
Assuming the best in a child, even when they give you reason to think otherwise, is one of the most important investments you can make in their future.
Always assume the best in students; At worst, assume there is more to know.
