An Interview with Bill Page: Students Who Can’t, Won’t and Don’t!

1) You have just presented at a national conference. What was your topic about?

My topic was ":Insights and Strategies for Students Who Can't, Won't, and

Don't Achieve, Cooperate, or Even Try To Learn.

My messagewas :Students who can't, don't, and won't, are not able to break the do-nothing cycle without significant intervention by teachers.

My Goals were to :(A) To help teachers recognize classroom misbehavior as defense mechanisms: being "bad" is preferable to being "dumb"; apathy avoids trying; bravado, defiance and clowning hide embarrassment.

(B) To accept "attitude" as the underlying problem.

(C) To respond to causes of misbehavior rather than react to symptoms.

2) What is it that middle school at risk student fear most of all? Why?

Whatever defensive mechanisms they use to cover and deny their fear, at-risk students live in constant fear--fear of failure (more failure, continued failure. retention), fear of rejection, fear of judgment, fear of being marginalized, and fear of being labeled "dumb". Most of all, they fear that they may actually be dumb, making their defensiveness a matter of desperation.

3) What kinds of maladaptive coping strategies do these kids use?

Suffering failure, embarrassment, and pain, many students resort to defensive ploys such as clowning, disrespect, passive aggression, anger, disruption, apathy and hostility to conceal their discomfiture. Being "bad" and uncooperative is preferable to being dumb. Defiance and hostility preclude exposure of their incompetence. Apathy and clowning avoid the need for participation.Vandalism and anger are retaliation.And, misbehavior gets attention and peer approval. While such behavior is self-defeating, they consider the dire consequences preferable to the reality of displaying their incompetence and revealing the pain of their humiliation.

4) How often do kids feel embarrassed and frustrated?

Classrooms are long-term social settings, communities in which students know one another's abilities, grades, and behaviors. When failures is made official by report cards, by problems, or by retention, student embarrassment jumps to a level of shame, one of the most painful of all emotions.The pain is constant and the life-altering embarrassment necessitates full time attention to denial, defense, and cover-up.Tragically, their defensive need becomes a matter of survival, and students cannot help themselves.Their frustration is pain-driven. At-risk kids live with painful emotions and feelings.They avoid:

Pain of failure by giving up or acquiring a "failure identity"

Pain of isolation by drugs, alcohol, and companions with similar problems

Pain of guilt by self-abuse and self-deprecation

Pain of inadequacy by bravado and swagger

Pain of ridicule by ridiculing others and bullying

Pain of boredom by clowning and showing-off

5) Do "at risk" kids have more low frustration tolerance than other kids? Why?

I believe kids at-risk have more frustration not necessarily less tolerance.Many kids "never have a good day".From the moment they awaken, dreading the day, to the unsociable bus ride, to their fear of being "called on", to being unprepared in class, to the boredom of hours of non-involvement, to the hassle at home over bad grades, homework, and attitude, their frustration is daunting and unrelenting, with only the prospect of its getting worse.

6) "School is the only experience that all kids share in common"- Why is this statement so important?

Many students are born into deplorable circumstances; impoverished families, poor parenting, dependent teen mothers, drug influences, horrendous disadvantages, abuse, homelessness, and hopelessness.Their first years' of life is unimaginable for most of us.Unless Family Services intervene, their unfortunate life will likely proceed with little hope.

School and school alone has the opportunity, obligation and capability of offering hope for at-risk kids' imperiled lives and dismal futures.Not every student has caring parents, a home, friends, a scout troop, a religion, supervision, or enough to eat.School is the only experience that every child in the nation shares in common. For most, it is the last best hope for finding acceptance, understanding, belonging, and anyone in their life, who cares.

Outside of family members, teachers are likely to be the most significant person in a kid's life.Students who are unloved, untaught, or unwanted at home must not be subjected to more of the same by schools.Teachers are necessarily concerned with classroom management and learning progress; but, they must never forget that the students' with the most unlovable personal characteristics need loving, caring, responses the most. Punishment, failure, and criticism are cruel and inappropriate for at-risk kids.Until bureaucrats in charge of school policy get it right, it is up to overworked individual teachers to begin making a difference through a caring relationship. Kids are worth whatever it takes.

7) You have indicated, " Teachers must never forget that the students with the most unlovable personal characteristics need loving responses and behaviors the most". Do you feel it is the teacher's job to provide this love?

Absolutely!Love is caring.The opposite of love is not hate; it is neglect, inattention, or disregard.The love, which I ask from teachers, is empathetic, understanding responses. Communication is ninety percent nonverbal, so it is the frowns, sighs, looks, voice inflection, body language, remarks, gestures, attitude, inattention and negative attention to which at-risk kids are subjected continuously.The cycle of learning problems-negativism-more learning problems-bad grades-bad attitude-bad behavior is a fatal, predictable, downward spiral.

The alternative to flunking kids is teaching them.But as long as teachers interpret at-risk student misbehavior as willful disobedience, they can flunk them with impunity, show disdain, and blame them for their failure and misbehavior.Besides reducing negativity, three simple caring (loving), steps teachers can take toward at-risk kids:

*Good teacher-student relationship is crucial.Teachers' personal attention, even for a minute or two, now and then, can show caring.Kneeling down to get to eye level and a few honest but personal statements is a great boost to the relationship.

*Attitude is overriding.

*Low test scores and grades are ultimate signs of rejection.Giving at-risk students a second chance, opportunity to retake, or an alternative to an F can help—especially when showing personal concern, an accepting attitude, and a caring smile.

8) Do at risk kids feel any sense of responsibility for what happens to them?

An outstanding characteristic of at-risk children is that they see themselves as "unlucky", as victims, as helpless, hapless dupes.Once student have tried and failed a number of times, they accept their fate and are beyond willingness to try again.Until teachers take the initiative to provide a meaningful opportunity to succeed, until teachers include these marginalized students in class activities to make them part of the group, and until teachers provide a fresh start, students are beyond pulling themselves up by their bootstraps—they have no boots.At-risk kids are not just humans, they are defeated humans—and they react as any other human would.Unable to compete but forced to do so, they seek alternatives--they become "troublemakers", defending their dignity and worth in the only way they know how.

9) Can you change a kid's attitude toward school or homework? How?

NO!If a kid says, "I hate math and I ain't gonna do it"—that's an attitudeI can guarantee that you will not teach him any math, either, unless his attitude changes.How do you change a kid's attitude? The answer is: you don't, you can't!Only the kid can do that. There are two ways research indicates that kids can change their own attitude.

(1) By my own attitude: One thing every one of my students learns from me is me. (Unless you are an English teacher, then what they learn is "I").My kids know whether I like them, whether I like my subject and how I feel about homework. If I think it's too late for them, or that they can't do the work, why would they think differently?They know I know more about it than they do. If they can't do the homework, see no sense in doing homework, and get an F in the course even when they do the homework; why would they do homework?They need to see its value.

(2) By seeing the situation in new ways: If a kid sees that math can be broken into smaller units, sequenced differently, related to more familiar knowledge, or that s/he can learn enough of the prerequisites to see it makes sense, s/he might begin to see it as easier than s/he thought. S/he might even work or practice enough to achieve a degree of success and make learning seem easier and more satisfying.When teachers see at-risk students differently, they can and will change their attitude toward them.

10) Tell us about your " Pair-share and Study Buddy " concepts?

A well-known aphorism teachers know and love is:"The best way to learn something is to teach it."The Pair-share strategy, also known by other names such as, Study Buddy, Pairing, and Partners fills the bill. Instead of one teacher talking and 26 students listening, there are 13 teaching and13 listening and taking turns teaching.There is no better way to learn, practice, reinforce, memorize, use speaking, listening, discussing, reflecting, thinking, and get immediate feedback than the pairing method.Shy and unprepared students, along with others, can use the ten-second to five-minute question wait-time to think, discuss, and share information before being called on.

The Pair-Share Strategy has been around for at least twenty-five years and has been written about in many books.Because there is no pressure to perform in front of others, and because it is individual, it is ideal for at-risk students.It is a meaningful activity for most all students.I pick the kids who need special help to work with me as "my partners". Here are some ways I use the pairing idea.

It is a good way to review; it lets kids talk, gives responsibility and involvement.

It is good for practice—both partners are 100% active, there is no passivity

It is great for rote learning. The giver uses speaking, listening, looking modalities, while the receiver uses speaking, thinking, and feedback. Then it's reversed.

It gives everyone a chance to talk, participate, and be actively involved.

It is good for anticipatory set and for reflection/discussion at points along the way.

It is excellent for reviewing units and sharing class notes

It is an ideal way to review lessons and study for tests.

It frees the teacher to work with those who really need help, while others are engaged in a worthwhile activity.

It allows for students to check and prepare their knowledge or answers so they will be able to respond if called on.

It permits students to be paired while grouped in other small group activities or class organizations.

Discussion before a lesson can provide an anticipatory set,

To make the pair-share strategy more effective;

(1) Be sure they understand the reason for pairing.If some students "mess around" it's because they don't understand or accept the purpose of the activity.

(2) Be sure it is voluntary and is reciprocal.It is difficult to work with someone you like, much less someone you don't.

(3) I choose the ones who don't "get it" as my partners.I might also give them special assignments more appropriate than the ones for the rest of the class.

(4) The "tutee" is always in charge.As one student tutors the other, the one being helped determines the manner, scope and duration of the help.

(5) It won't work--at least not for everyone.But it is an excellent way to get the class learning while teachers work to find ways for the few who need more.

11) What question have we neglected to ask?Yes, you didn't ask about handout materials and further elaboration for attendees of the conference?

I have more that 20 pages of material that I am pleased to make available to EdNews.org subscribers by way of free email download:
Send email address to: At-Risk Materials [email protected]

Original, descriptive, handouts:

1: What Every Teacher Must Know About At-Risk Kids

2. At-Risk Student Credo

3.Insights and Strategies for Students Who Can't, Won't and Don't Achieve, Follow Procedures, Cooperate, or Even Try To Learn Plus:Free."At-Risk Advocate" Newsletter"
Sign-up at: http://www.teacherteacher.com/

Published March 12, 2007