Blog Post by Warren Byrne
Whilst at school I fell into the category of an underachieving boy, who lacked motivation and needed the right support to make sure I didn’t fall through the gaps in the education system. So, when I was presented with the opportunity to be involved with a new initiative called the ‘Excel club’ I jumped at the chance to change perspectives as mine once were.
But with great power came great responsibility. I figured that the best way to get a good starting point to get this program heading in the right direction was to contact home by making the dreaded phone call. But to my surprise the parents offered to come in to meet and discuss the ideas therefore forming a bridge between home and school. This then played a pivotal role in getting parents and students on board as they saw a holistic overview of the program and why we do things in the way we do at school. This led the boys to understanding the motives behind the program and what we could achieve in partnership. The first time I met the group together they were so positive and worked so hard in the initial sessions and I firmly believe that this was because of the positive link I had made with home.
The meeting also gave me chance to reflect on what students perceived as their learning barriers. I started to realise the importance of a calm and orderly environment for boys; and clear boundary setting led to a higher achieving climate. I then made sure I modelled the behaviours I wanted them to adopt placing a clear emphasis on coping with anger and frustration. The boys said on numerous occasions that the frustration or anger led to giving up even if they knew it would harm their prospects. Then it dawned on me how big the battle to develop resilience would be. So, I began to work on being direct, clear and very explicit in what I wanted students to do. I planned in opportunities in not only the excel club but in my classes where I wanted students to fail and get it wrong. But then work repeatedly to develop different alternative ways to get to the right answer. The students could feel the jubilation and pride of failing and how it ultimately led to their success. In my favourite example, an introverted year 7 shouting instructions to the rest of the class in our shield wall re-enactment demonstrated what is achievable when the right support and motivation is applied to difficult situations.
Moreover, I firmly believe to be successful in school the teacher needs to make time to develop contact with home, as the students I have done this for are my students that are being pushed on multiple fronts. As an adult the worst thing I can ever hear is my mum shouting ‘Warren’, so I know that students work with me more as they know I am not afraid to make contact home on multiple occasions.
Finally, don’t be afraid of students failing in lesson. My philosophy was formed when I was told ‘it is your job to get them stuck and then unstuck’. If we can build a culture of challenging failure rather than being defeated by it, the achievements of the students will surpass expectation giving the students the chance to be number 1 in what ever life choices they want to make.
