Teacherscribe's Teaching Thought #27

Teaching Thought #27

Here is an interesting take on the Ten Things Teachers Should Unlearn, this one instead looks at what  Parents Should Unlearn.

Second, Product is more important than process and progress.  

For this all we have to do is look at our own lives.  I built a patio in our former home in RLF.  The end result in that was really all that mattered.  I slaved over it for a week and learned a TON in the process and progress, but if I had focused on the process and progress it would have taken me a month to get it done. Yet, had I had a better process, it would not have ended up slanting toward our house, which really made spring thaw fun.  And if I had to build it again, my process would be far different to get a better product.

Sometimes to get stuff done in the ‘real’ world you have to draw a line in the sand and just get shit done (which is something I tell my students all the time).  That is also how things get done in school too.  But I’m quick to tell my students that if they can get their process of writing down early and make steady progress, they will save themselves a lot of headaches and late nights.  And I model this for them all the time (now that I finally have my writing process down).  When writing a major research paper (8-12 pages), I show them how I have crafted my thesis early on without bothering to develop my introduction (I’ll write that much later).  Then I start hammering out my supporting paragraphs.  I strive to get two pages done per day.  By the following week, I’m adding in my introduction, conclusion, and fine tuning my works cited.  Then I contrast that with my experience of writing an 8-12 page research paper in an blind 18 hour rush.  It was terrible.  My lack of process and progress bit me in the ass.

Honestly, do you correct six tests a night until you have the whole class graded?  Do you have a great process for updated grades or do you binge grade like me?  But at least I know that about my grading process.  And I make sure to get all of my other non-essential grading out of the way so I can have some free time to grade 25 essays in one sitting.

Getting an A (product) is great, but I would argue learning the key attributes that lead to a great work ethic is far more important.  At your first job, no one will care that you earned an A in College Composition, but they will care if you have a great process to accomplish what needs to get done.