I Don’t Win Unless You Win, Kid
“It doesn’t matter anyway because y’all gonna win before 2:20 anyways.”The three adults stare at each other in frustration.
“It’s true, y’all do.”
This was one of those times that truly tested this patience thing everyone says I have. It’s the word of a student who’s devolved into playing defense where there are no offenders, walking a tightrope of trouble, playing around with what he thinks is sufficient work to get by. Unfortunately, what happens in all those cases is that kids often underestimate a teacher’s academic and behavioral tolerance for what they do. The consistent little things start to add up, whether it’s a few missed assignments or the occasional nudging other students just to annoy them.
Sometimes, we think students will continue to grow in the trajectory we set out with them. They can grow from
