I think it’s hard to be a teacher with a bad attitude… at least I think it’s harder to be a teacher with a bad attitude than it is to be a teacher with a good attitude. And yet, why does it seem as though a whole buncha folks in our profession choose to have such a cynical outlook on their school/job/profession/kids/lives? (And yes, I do believe attitude is a choice. Read some Viktor Frankl if you doubt me.)

Truly, if you think about it, being negative, pessimistic, aggravated and cynical all the time runs you down.

Physically, having a bad attitude is hard on a person’s body. The negativity wears on you. Stomach problems, heart problems, problems from stress in general have been proven to be one of the leading causes of illness in this country. Disease is literally caused by dis-ease… i.e. stress. Having a bad attitude physically taxes you in ways that cause body parts to break down.

Emotionally, having a bad attitude sucks the life force right out of the day. I mean if you are going to be good at having a bad attitude you are going to have to be relentless about it which means that as soon as you find one thing to complain about, there are about 20 other things you need to explore and complain about as well. That takes time, effort and emotional energy. And if you spend all the space of your human spirit dwelling on the negative things, it leaves a lot less room for the positive stuff.

And we all like the positive stuff. I mean, remember that original reason you got into teaching? Working with the kids, lighting lights, illuminating paths and turning on kids to things/wisdom/books/ideas that were/are oh-so-important to you? Well, if you cling on to a bad attitude, very little of that original passion for this profession has a chance to surface and thrive. It get supplanted by focusing on what’s wrong instead of what’s right.

Finally, (well, not really finally cause one could go on and on and on about the detriments of holding on to a bad attitude) bad attitudes are contagious. Quite often, teachers that are cynical, bitter and jaded are sending those type of messages to their students which means they are teaching other people’s kids to be cynical, bitter and jaded about the world.

OWCH! How many parents really want that kind of lesson being imparted to their children? I mean the world is tough enough to negotiate as is so I gotta wonder, does the youth of today really need an extra splash of bitterness thrown on their life’s plate by an jaded educator who chooses to go through life like a grump?

Attitude is a choice — and if wielded intelligently it can yield amazing things in a teacher’s life and classroom. Used unwisely, however, it can destroy things like cancer.

Do Students Even Want to be Tested? I’d say the answer is an unequivocal YES.

That is, if the assessment is an evaluation of something they want to have done.

When we do project-based learning in my class, when we make enhanced podcasts, 30 second pieces of propaganda (in the form of commercials) and the such, my students absolutely LOVE assessment day. They have worked hard, they have been thoroughly engaged, they have been self-determining to a large extent and they have blended fun, rigor and creativity in a way has provided them a form of self-expression which is honest and meaningful and beneficial to their future (because they have attained and expanded “skills” along the way).

My kids are proud of their work and they are eager to show it. As one of my great teacher friends says, “No kid ever wants to see C work up on the big screen.” So they work for A’s, they give A effort and overwhelmingly, they reach their goals.

Tests of their project-based learning acumen are a chance to be celebrated and feel a wonderful sense of heightened academic and personal self-esteem — which, btw, has come from “standards-based schoolwork”.

Now think of the state tests. Do any of the aforemementioned elements apply? I mean even our nation’s best students pretty much loathe the month of May when we shut down most meaningfulness in the classroom and hammer them with bubble test after bubble test after bubble test for 3, 4 or even 5 days in a row. (Only to tell them the feedback on their performance won’t be available for many, many months.)

The entire connotation of the word test carries so much negative baggage in this day and age it’s absolutely bonkers. Students, when they do great work, hard work, meaningful work want an audience. Even the most shy kids want to be validated, acknowledged and recognized. It’s “da bomb” for them.

And to not understand this about students is to not understand students at all. Kids are eager, willing and ready to perform.