Institutionalizing Cultural Knowledge

What groups of learners in your classroom are not performing as well as they should be?  List the words used to describe them.  How does this list compare with the sentiment in your organization’s mission statement or core values?  What meaning does this have for you?

The learners that fail to perform at the level of their potential are always the learners with the highest level of potential.  I frequently find the terms “gifted” and “lazy” used in the same conversation and referred to the same student.   I feel that a major struggle for educators is the ability to engage all learners.  We make sure that we provide resources and support for students that are struggling and can leave our more able to students to their own devices.  The services that gifted students receive frequently depart from our mission and core values in regards to our expectations and the services we provide.  When a student has a 4.0 GPA educators infrequently evaluate the student’s level of achievement.  We have to make sure that we are creating an environment where students of all abilities are trying and performing at their best.