Being pulled behind our family ski boat recently made me better understand how struggling students can feel overwhelmed. Skiing on top of the waves and frequently "catching some air" made me think about how most of our students feel when they're collaborating, learning and really understanding. However, several years ago, I was knee boarding behind our family boat when I lost the board from underneath me and found I was being pulled along by the ski rope caught or wrapped around my wrist. I was being dragged along with little to no control over the situation. Instead of "catching air", I was "catching water" or drinking gulps of the lake water. There was little to nothing I could do until the spotter in our boat finally realized I was in distress. Only at that point did the boat stop and my anguish begin to subside.
Now that I think back on the sensation I had being dragged along, I now know how some of our students feel when we drag them along with our standards and curriculum. Some students feel like they're drowning. Today, one of our students eluded to the fact that he's drowning and can't keep up with "all this math". At that moment, my mind went back to my incident of being helplessly dragged through and occasionally under the water. Now, I'm dragging him through our spiraled standards to achieve somewhere between proficiency and mastery. I need to stop this "Rowe" boat so he can catch his breath, stop feeling overwhelmed and have a chance to breathe and learn what our course is offering. I hope it is not too late to rekindle his interest.
Educators need to find the right balance between keeping the learning fresh and new, spiraling concepts to integrate and keep it all current while making sure we're not losing anyone in the wake of being overwhelmed and possibly drowning. Now I realize I should have been a better "spotter in the boat".
