Last week, I encountered a few students who said “I can’t” and “I don’t know how” when I asked them to write. That belief is debilitating. And yet, with support and scaffolding, those students were able to write. Was it at the same level of their peers? No. But they wrote. Something.
It can be frustrating to have students in our classrooms who do not have the skills we would expect in the grade level we teach. In these moments it helps to remember that reading and writing are complex skills, and unlike oral language, they are not innate. When we better understand the complexity of what we are asking them to do, we have more patience to provide the support they need.
If we have students who truly believe they can’t, they may shut down when given a task. It’s on us to have confidence in them until they find a little of their own. Teach foundational skills, yes, but also expect and believe that they can.
Thanks for the reminder, Karen! We are their biggest fan 🙂