Dad puts the brakes on Neal’s coasting
Neal takes off his backpack and perches himself on the barstool across from the counter where his father is preparing dinner.
Neal: What are you making for dinner?
Father: Cauliflower lasagna.
Neal: Cauliflower? Seriously?
Father: Don’t worry. I’m making you flatbread pizza.
Neal: Whew! You had me worried.
Father: Want to help?
Neal: Sure. But I need you to sign something for me.
Father: What’s that?
Neal: I need to change English classes.
Father: Why?
Neal: Well, you know Ms. Williams started her maternity leave.
Father: Yeah.
Neal: Well the new teacher and I aren’t a good fit and my counselor said it was okay if I switched to Ms. Mills’ class.
Father: Oh, I remember Ms. Mills. You really liked her didn’t you?
Neal: Yeah. So will you sign this so I can switch?
Father: So what’s up with the new teacher?
Neal: I was getting a solid ‘B’ in Ms. Williams’ class and now I’m getting a ‘D’ from this new guy.
Father: A ‘D’?
Neal: Yeah. I’ve never gotten a ‘D’ in my life. Everybody thinks his grading is too harsh.
Father: I like Ms. Mills. Guess there’s no harm (in switching).
What do you think of this exchange? What do you think of Neal’s request and his father’s response? Neal reminded his father that he had been an ‘A/B’ student his whole life, suggesting the problem wasn’t of his making. There was no “5 Why’s” approach to find out more details about Neal’s relationship with the teacher or why he’d received a ‘D’. Why do you suppose the father would accept the first explanation that the problem needed a change of teachers? Neal’s explanation was plausible. With his signature, the problem just went away, for Neal and father. Unfortunately, this was a foreshadowing of the problems Neal would face in college, where more was expected of him than he was prepared to handle. Instead of using the IEBR approach to assessing the problem, father willingly pushed the “Easy Button”. What also made the “signature” easier was the option of switching to a teacher with whom Neal had been successful.
We all have a tendency to latch on to solutions that are simple and plausible, because we generally don’t like complication or having to live with ambiguity. But … in this case, Neal’s reasoning was based on the assumption that he had run into a teacher who was unfair in grading. In the general population of teenagers, that explanation is less likely than “the kid wasn’t doing the work”. Let’s see how Neal’s problem could have been handled differently.
Father: I can understand how frustrated you must feel to get a new teacher and a bad grade that seemed to come out of left field.
Neal: So you’ll sign this?
Father: Why do you think this teacher doesn’t like you?
Neal: He gave me back an essay with so many red marks on it I could hardly see what I had written.
Father: So that made you think he doesn’t like you?
Neal: There wasn’t one positive comment!
Father: Are you used to getting compliments on your writing?
Neal: Yeah. My writing is good.
Father: You write well?
Neal: Yeah. I write good.
Father: Before I sign your form, I’d like to meet this “no good” teacher of yours.
Neal: Seriously? My counselor said it was no big deal to change classes. He said I’m not the only one who asked to switch.
Father: Oh?
Neal: Yeah. In fact, some of the parents have been complaining about his harsh grading.
Father: Now I really do need to meet this guy. Can you give me his email address?
After school the next day in the “No Good” Teacher’s room.
Neal: Dad. This is Mr. Fielding. Mr. Fielding, this is my dad.
After greetings and small talk, they get to Neal’s concern.
Father: Neal asked to switch out of your class. So I thought we should meet to find out how he’s doing.
Mr. Fielding: The students got their essays back on Monday and Neal’s not the only one who has asked to transfer since then.
Father: Neal says you are a tough grader.
Mr. Fielding: I suppose I am. Did Neal show you his essay and why he got a ‘D’?
Father: No, he didn’t. He just told me it was covered in red marks.
Mr. Fielding: Yes it was. I suspect I spent more time grading it than Neal spent writing it.
Father: Was this one of your late night, one-and-done papers, Neal?
Neal: It was just as good as the work I was doing for Ms. Williams.
Mr. Fielding: Did Neal tell you that every student could rewrite their papers and resubmit them for a new grade?
Neal: There’s no way I can do that. You criticized every sentence in the paper.
Mr. Fielding: Neal. Did you show your dad the rubric?
Neal: No. It’s in my locker somewhere.
Mr. Fielding: No worries. Here’s another copy. And … here’s a copy of your essay. I thought maybe we could go over it with your dad.
Father: Explain what you mean by a rubric.
Mr. Fielding: As you can see, the column on the far left has the different components of an essay (topic, evidence, explanation, analysis, conclusion, organization and transitions, spelling and grammar, style, and tone). As you read across each row, you see what needs to be included to move from an F paper to an A paper in each of those categories.
Father: Oh. This is very clear. Neal, can you see how each of his comments relates to a category and quality? I wish my mechanic was this thorough.
Neal: Writing shouldn’t be this complicated.
Mr. Fielding: This is just the same as the way scouts rate ballplayers or someone gets a USTA tennis ranking.
Father: Yep. Can hit his forehand with speed and depth, to within three feet of the baseline, with topspin or slice …
Neal: I get it. So, I’m not a five-tool writer. I still want to switch classes.
Father: No. I think this class will be good for you. And how often does a teacher give you the chance to do something over until you get the grade you want?
Neal: You know I hate sports metaphors.
Mr. Fielding: Analogies.
Father: I wish I had a class like this in high school.
Neal: Well, you can have my spot and I’ll take Ms. Mills’ class.
Father: If you are frustrated, bring me the red comments and I’ll help you brainstorm your improvements.
Neal: Oh, not that Five Why Thing?
Mr. Fielding: You do that too?
Father: Yeah.
Mr. Fielding: Cool.
Neal: Why me?, why, why …
So how did Neal’s Rubric Puzzle fit with the workshop model? Let’s look first at the IEBR Analysis. The first vignette above skipped it.
| Behavior
Neal wants to transfer out of a class. |
| Response
Father considers the request reasonable, especially considering he will transfer to a teacher with whom Neal has had “success”. |
In the second vignette, Neal’s father remained curious and sought some greater clarity before responding to Neal’s request for a class change. If we put this inquiry into IEBR form, what would it look like?
| Issue
Neal considers himself to be a smart (A/B) student. The tougher grading his a blow to his fragile self-esteem. |
| Emotion
Neal seeks to avoid the humiliation of the low grade.He also seeks to avoid the frustration that will accompany the more challenging work in Mr. Fielding’s class. |
| Behavior
Neal wants to transfer out of a class. Neal’s wish to transfer is avoidance. |
| Response
Neal’s father remains curious about Neal’s request and his relationship with Mr. Fielding. His father recognizes that Mr. Fielding’s class offers Neal the opportunity to improve as a writer and provides a clear pathway for that improvement, via well-defined standards for mastery. |
Was there some making of A MESS taking place in this second vignette? Ultimately, Neal’s self-esteem will grow in strength as he becomes more competent academically, more self-disciplined, and more resilient. Let’s look at how Mr. Fielding’s class affords him this opportunity for growth. Thank goodness his father recognized this opportunity and “blocked the exits” when Neal tried to avoid these necessary challenges. In doing so, his father kept him in the zone of proximal development (aka The Goldilocks Zone).
| Where We Need To Be | Neal’s Situation | Goldilocks’ Standards |
| Overwhelming | College Writing Class | Too Hot |
| Challenging | Mr. Fielding’s Class | Just Right |
| Too Easy | Ms. Mills Class | Too Cold |
A retreat to Ms. Mills class would not keep him in the zone of challenging growth. Neal will need plenty of scaffolding (support) from Mr. Fielding and his parents, but the first order of business has been met – keeping him in the class. Neal’s father is attuned to his son’s potential and holds those expectations (even when Neal does not yet possess them).
Mr. Fielding’s Rubric is an excellent example of a clear pathway toward mastery (in this case essay writing). Whereas Neal probably got his ‘B’ in Ms. Mills class based on how well he wrote in comparison to the others in the class, Mr. Fielding’s Rubric sets up an objective standard for achievement, independent of between-child comparisons, whereby students can gauge their personal progress in mastering essay writing.
Now that his father has blocked his exit from the class, Neal will need to engage in the challenging mastery process, unless he wants to continue to get D’s. Mr. Fielding’s option for students to rewrite and resubmit their essays promotes that (engagement and) growth in several areas. By recognizing areas of need and correcting them, growth or mastery is promoted. Unlimited resubmissions also reduces the ‘sting’ of a bad grade because students know that it is not final and that it is under their control to change it. So the process is empowering. Neal will come to recognize that he gets what he earns and that will depend upon how hard he chooses to work, not on some comparison with others or some subjective process outside of his control. And finally, having that control will help him become more resilient. He will be able to self-soothe and stay engaged instead of opting for avoidance and excuses.
| Attunement
Father understood Neal’s academic capabilities and maintained a growth mindset that recognized the need for challenges and mastery. |
| Mastery
Mr. Fielding’s Rubric clearly defined the components of competent essay writing that students needed to master. |
| Engagement
Neal’s father ‘blocked’ Neal’s exit strategy, thus forcing him to stay engaged in this challenging class. The opportunity to rewrite and resubmit encouraged sustained engagement. |
| Self-Soothing
The opportunity to make corrections and resubmit papers also took the sting out of criticisms and grades. Having that control over the process makes receiving critical feedback more tolerable and allows for sustained engagement in making improvements. Knowing that he has control over making changes and improving his grade is a form of self-soothing that supports engagement. |
It’s always good to make A MESS before starting college, rather than create a mess while there.