Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1017146
Make it relevant "Why do I have to learn this? I'm never going to use it!" The best response is to show students what they are being taught can be useful, says Shana Just, an earth science teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. If students complain about learning geography and mapping because they already have a GPS, she offers real-life exam- ples — such as the Santa Rosa fire — where a lack of Internet service forced rescue workers to rely on old-fashioned methods to save lives. Her students learn GPS unreliability has caused people to be stranded on remote roads in a snowstorm. Just strives to foster internal motivation at her challenging inner-city school, and it's not always easy. She's had students say to her, "Why bother, I'll just end up in jail," and students often refer to themselves as stupid, which they may hear at home. "None of them are stupid, and I let them know they are all capable learners," says the Sacramento City Teachers Associ- ation member. "If they say they are not good in science, I always tell them until now." It's important to know what students are interested in, and connect that with what she is teaching. Even apathetic students are excited about something. A student interested in sports might learn how weather conditions affect out- door sporting events, which can lead to a discussion on high-pressure winds. Someone with a passion for basketball is reminded that practice improves performance, and the same is true of academics. "Sometimes a connection is dorky, but it helps put what you teach into context," she says. " There's always a way to make a connection between what you are teaching and students' lives." Explain the big picture Miesha Harris Gash teaches students with mild to moderate disabilities, and they tend to live in the moment, says the special education teacher at Kennedy High School in Richmond. So she makes it a point to show them the connection between what they need to learn at school and what they want out of life. "I ask them to define what success means to them," says Gash, a member of United Teachers of Richmond. Usually, they want nice things, a family, and to break free of the cycle of poverty. "We talk about how they will pay for that. What will it take to support them- selves? How much will they need to pay rent, make car payments and afford necessities? We talk about salary and benefits. Soon they realize that a mini- mum-wage job is not likely to give them the lifestyle they want, and they begin to think more about the future. It definitely helps when you connect how they do in school with their future livelihood." In painting a big picture, she explains that academic skills are life skills. Knowing math helps people avoid being cheated out of their money. Being able to write well is essential in any well-paying job. Education, she stresses, is the best way out of poverty. Gash urges students who are not college-bound to consider vocational education to prepare for careers in the trades, such as heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical work, which can pay quite well. " You can be your own boss and become an entre- preneur," Gash tells students. "Education leads to jobs. Jobs lead to careers. And it all starts with now." " I ask them to define what success means to them. They begin to think more about the future. It helps when you connect how they do in school with their future livelihood." — Miesha Harris Gash, United Teachers of Richmond " If they say they are not good in science, I always tell them until now." — Shana Just, Sacramento City Teachers Association 23 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 018