Rich Henderson's Diary
The First 180 Days

Rich's Diary: When You Least Expect It

Week 29

"It will happen when you least expect it." I never liked that saying. Hearing that always brought out the pessimist lurking deep within me. After all, if I am not working toward a particular result, how will it ever come to fruition? In my mind, it can't. By planning and preparing for something, I have a certain degree of control over the situation. Yet, this old saying conveys the message that as soon as I give up control over something, the desired result will happen. To me, this notion sounds ridiculous. However, after my classroom experiences this week, I am beginning to see that within this old saying lies some measure of truth.

Helping is an essential part of a teacher's job. It's in our nature. Teachers help students in so many different ways. From teaching various concepts to listening to their problems, teachers are often called on to help students. We gladly do it. What happens, however, when we try to help our students and our assistance is either ineffective or unwelcome? For several weeks, I have been trying to help a student get "back on track." He has demonstrated in the past a keen intelligence and kind personality. Lately, however, he has faced other challenges that have masked those wonderful traits. I have been in constant discussions with his parents, teachers, and my principal, looking for ways in which each of us can help this student minimize the challenges. We all want to help him, yet it seems that most of our assistance has not returned the desired result. For me, this has been particularly frustrating as I see him falling behind in his studies and not caring enough to want to catch up. I was at a loss as how to help him become motivated once again. Each type of motivational instrument that I used in the past sparked only lukewarm interest at best. What to do?

Well, when I least expected it, this student once again became motivated to do his work. He found a particular book that provided him with some excitement and joy. We talked about some of the topics in the book, which seemed to strengthen our teacher-student relationship. His desire to read this book constantly was tempered by an agreement that we reached: He may read the book after he completes each classroom assignment. He may continue to do so each day thereafter, provided he also does his homework. I didn't expect that a book was going to be such a powerful motivational tool for him. I hope it lasts.

If expectations do come true when they are least expected, I would gladly accept them any time. So, this week, I am not expecting a neat classroom closet. We'll see.

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Rich Henderson
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