Are you a Ms. Hill?

Steve Jobs quote courtesy of awaken.com
I'm very blessed to be able to answer yes to this every day.

     One of my favorite units I use with my seventh graders is an informational reading and writing unit "What makes someone successful?"  In this unit, we look at the definition of success, read the biography Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different, and research an inventor (my pre-AP kiddos will make a simple machine and present it in a how-to format to the class).  I love this unit - I cannot say it enough.  The kids are engaged, excited because it is someone who is relevant to them, and of course, they have a lot to say about success.  My favorite reason, though, for this unit happens in Chapter 1 of the biography.
     Chapter 1 discusses Jobs's childhood, and specifically what school was like for him.  Jobs hated school because it simply wasn't interesting to him.  So, to make school interesting, he often caused trouble, like letting a snake loose in a classro
om and making an explosion under a teacher's chair.  His father defended him, often saying, "If you can't keep him interested, its your own fault."
     That all changed for Jobs in fourth grade when he met Imogene "Teddy" Hill, his teacher.  Ms. Hill started off the year by bribing, er, I mean, motivating Jobs to complete work ("Complete the math workbook and get at least 80 percent right, and I'll give you $5 and a giant lollipop.")  But before long, he just respected and admired her enough to complete his work.  Jobs credited Ms. Hill for the beginning of his success, stating, "I'm one hundred percent sure that if it hadn't been for Ms. Hill in fourth grade and a few others, I would have absolutely ended up in jail."
     Ms. Hill showered Jobs with much needed attention, and did not see him as a troublemaker, but has a gifted kid who needed more.

     Are you a Ms. Hill?

     By this, I mean, we each have that student sitting in class that no one seems to understand - the one that puts his head down constantly, or the girl that seems to not be listening to a word you say, or the group of kiddos that seem more interested in the computer game trend of the week than anything you are teaching?  Are you trying?  Are you trying to understand that student's behaviors?  Are you trying to figure out what motivates him?  Are you trying to build a relationship?  Yes, it will be difficult.  And yes, it will be challenging, but isn't that student worth it?  A student will never learn from a teacher they don't respect.  No, a student doesn't have to like you, but they do have to respect you enough to listen to you.
     Ms. Hill thought so.  She had no idea that Jobs would go on and be a creator of so many things we use today, but she did see something special in a kid that others only identified as "trouble."  Find that student in your class, and make an effort in the following weeks to figure out how you can make this student interested - do it a day at a time, or an assignment at a time.
     Build a relationship.  Be a Ms. Hill.

Love and Sparkle,