For some, those words relate to basketball. For others, those words relate to the high speed in which everything is going to go down in your classrooms.
Whether we are talking about the basketball court or the classroom, there is a fever pitch of excitement across the land. Teachers are frantically planning lessons that engage students when their minds are on the sun and the last nine weeks of school. Basketball fans are carefully filling in their brackets and watching five games at once. Students are practicing final skills to prepare for state assessments. Players are practicing and concentrating on their next opponent to get the "W".
So it appears that March is similar for those of us in education and those in the world of college basketball.
As I watch our students and I watch fans (and some are fanatics), I always think about what makes a person a fan? What makes someone root for a team? What makes people dislike a team (cough...cough...Duke)? What is it that draws people in to cheer for their team when they are a 16th seed and up against the overall number 1 seed? Why do people do that? Why do students like certain classes? Why do students love a particular teacher? Why do students put in more effort in one class than another? Why does a student study and study for certain classes over another? Why is that?
For basketball teams, it often comes down to where you are from...where you went to school...or who is the "hot" team at the time. For students, I believe it is this. If they know that you care, they will work for you. If they know that you are cheering them on, they will work for you.
Seems pretty simple. But we know that there are days that simple thing can be a challenge. Our patience gets tested. We get frustrated. I get that. I do. But our kids need us.
The ASCD Conference is going on now in Chicago. I have been following lots of tweets that are on the topic of us being there for our students. Brian Mendler (Follow him on Twitter: @BrainMendler) told attendees this: Seven words that can change lives: I like having you in my class. He is right. Doesn't it make you feel good when kids tell you they like you as their teacher? While our college athletes know they are "liked" based on the number of people in the stands, our students need to hear those words. Hearing those words can make a big difference for kids.
So cheer. Cheer for your favorite team. Cheer for the kids in your classroom. It makes a difference!
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