For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for December 10, 2010

That was me, from third grade on.

If they were right, I never reached it.

As we all know, Michaels is now a successful writer, so he did have a potential. Agree?

And he grew up to be rather mature. Of course we never really got to see the joy of him having a boy who turned out to behave exactly like he did… he had it pretty good with those kids…

Makes you wonder about the power of expectations in our lifes. Would anyone bother if they didn’t think he “had potential”?

This is the nature of teaching today. I had the privilege of participating at the “Great American Teach In” last month and gave my presentation to a day’s worth of “Honors English II” sophomores. Each class had about 25 to 30 students all in the 15-16 age range with the ‘Honors’ designation indicating that these were considered college potential students.

Invariably, 5 to 8 of these students participated, another 8 at least kept their eyes open and the rest were present in body only. I can only wonder what the non-honors classes were like!

I get the adult version of the non-honors kids in training classes at work. You just need to give them something that is relevant. “You might need to know this when you grow up” doesn’t work with a lot of kids, including the bright ones. “This stuff can kill you” is a great attention-getter.

Researchers did a study where a school adminstrator told a new teacher that 10 of her students were honors-level students, when in actuality they were mid-range to low end achievers. At the end of the school year, all of those students were pulling A’s and some B’s, when they were normally C’s and D’s … children will rise to the level of expectation you promote them as being capable of. The best teachers challenge you to be better than you see yourself. They say a friend accepts you for where you are now … a mentor refuses to leave you where you are now and raises you higher.

Tantebitte––No, we don’t all know!!! I guess I have to quit reading the comments on this strip, as so many people are dead set on giving away the story line before it happens.

I second that notinksanymore…

notinksanymore, Ines Fael, this is a relatively slow-moving strip spanning decades, whose proper conclusion occurred, like, 2 years ago, and whose archive is entirely available online at the official site.

I don’t think “spoilers” can be considered an issue.

You can encourage potential, and then you can overdo the encouragement and kill the potential, or at least harm it. It’s a delicate process, and it starts by making the owner recognize it without giving him/her a big head. You have to slowly build it up and show it is worthwhile. And sometimes, even with all that, the potential goes to waste.

And those with no perceived potential are thrown on the trash pile, and doomed to menial labor lives.

My son had some pretty major physical barriers growing up. I never gave him them as an excuse: he never used them as an excuse. In fact, he preferred that people not know.

I did have to tell his teacher to be aware that he was very hard of hearing and having him do kicks with his eyes closed was not safe for other students.

Give kids opportunity and encouragement: it is amazing what they can do.

Nightgaunt-49 as to the idea that if we weren’t at war that money would go into schools…it never has before. I would much rather that we spent the money where it will allow us to have schools where we can teach that freedom is worth fighting for than to end up like the countries we are at war with! On the note of the comic and Michael goofing off … most goof offs goof off because either the material is too slow for them or like me, when they don’t understand it and the teacher does nothing to help.

@ rugratz2222 You look familiar, like Hymenoxis. Have you taken over his persona?

oh, I sometimes miss having a “like” button on these comments, Rugratz2222, consider your comment liked!