Who’s Unreachable!?
The benefits, strategies, and components of The Grid Method should be apparent based on Parts 1 – 7 of this course (If you need to review any of the parts you can click here.)
The benefit we haven’t discussed that may even be the most important, is what The Grid Method can allow you to do for the most challenging students. We have seen time and time again that once ownership of learning is shifted, failure represents opportunity, and students are allowed to struggle and given time to understand content, even the most difficult students can be reached.
Who’s your Jesse?
When I first created this system in my classroom I had a student named Jesse. He acted like many of the students that we would consider “difficult” and you probably have a student (or a few) that look like the picture below in your classroom right now.
Jesse was a good kid but he had trouble reading and when he got frustrated he would have a hard time controlling his anger.
Sound familiar?
There came a time when I didn’t see Jesse for a few weeks. I became concerned and talked to my colleagues. I found out that he was being removed from class daily. I had Jesse in my last period of the day, so I wasn’t seeing him because other teachers would kick him out for the day before he ever got to opportunity to sit in my class.
I knew that Jesse could learn if I just gave him that chance, so I did what I thought was right. I started going up to In School Suspension (ISS) and getting Jesse almost every day. I would walk up and look at Jesse sitting in his chair and ask, “Are you going to work for me today, Jesse?”He would smirk and say “Yea Mr. O, I’ll work today”.
As Jesse started attending my class more consistently, he began succeeding. He was taking a little bit longer, but that was ok. He started progressing through his Mastery Grids, asking for extra help when he needed, and getting 2nd opportunities when he didn’t understand things the first time.
Jesse started thriving in my classroom. He even became a Genius a few times when he worked to his potential, and was able to help other students. This was HUGE for Jesse. No one had ever given him an opportunity to be a leader. No one had ever BELIEVED he could do it.
An unexpected visit…
One day toward the end of the school year, I got a call down to the office. Jesse’s mother had come to the school and wanted to see me. Quickly my mind raced, trying to figure out what she might want or what I may have done wrong (I’m sure you know that feeling!)
As I entered the office I was greeted with the largest hug that any adult woman other than my wife has ever given me.
As her arms wrapped around me Jesse’s mother said “Jesse got a ‘B’ in your class.” I stood there, a bit caught off guard, and Jesse’s mother went on to explain: “Jesse doesn’t get B’s. He doesn’t do well in school. He’s never done well in school…until now”.
This was one of those moments that I will never forget as a teacher. The system I had developed allowed a student who was labelled as “unreachable” to succeed and thrive in my classroom. Jesse wasn’t the only one by far either. Many other students in my own class and now hundreds of other classrooms have been reached using The Grid Method.
So who’s your Jesse? Who are those students that no one else thinks can be reached?
The more important question is what are you going to do about it?
What if?
At this point we’ve discussed why I changed my instruction, how Mastery Learning presents solutions that (when paired with The Grid Method) can provide powerful instructional strategies, and the amazing results and positive impact The Grid Method can have on your classroom, school, or district.
I want to end this course with a simple question…WHAT IF?
- WHAT IF YOU decide right now to never let another student fall through the cracks, or get left behind.
- WHAT IF WE (everyone taking this course) decide that reaching ‘most’ or ‘some’ of our students is not acceptable and that we need a system to be able to reach every student where they are instead of where we “think” they should be.
- WHAT IF EVERYONE could reach those unreachable students and the thousands of students that are left behind can now succeed and thrive in classrooms everywhere.
This is how we change education. This is how we meet the needs of learners and empower them to succeed where they never thought they could. You now have the tools and strategies to change the educational world.
My last question is What are you going to do with them?
The choice is yours…the consequences are that of your students.
To hear my story and how you can change the world with us watch the video below!
