My daughter cheers on a competitive all-star cheer team. Recently, her team finished their last competition, which oddly was scheduled three weeks before the practice season actually ended. Competitions are always great. It's the time to give your all for the performance and share what the team has been working on for months. Hard work is rewarded with cheering and excitement from the fans. Parents love seeing kids give it their all on a stage or field. The competition ended on a high note, and that day really could have been the end of the season for the girls.But practice continued the next week as scheduled since parents had paid for three more weeks. It was my turn to carpool that next practice after the competition. Usually the girls are so excited on the way to practice, chatting about the routine and everything they hope to be able to do by the competition.
But today was different. The car was quiet and felt like it was filled with deflated balloons. Instead of the usual chatter, they started complaining. "This is stupid. Why do we have to keep going to practice if there are no more competitions?"
I tried to convince them that it's about continuing to grow in their skills and if anything, being healthy and getting a good workout. No matter what I said, in typical teenage girls style, they weren't buying it. And them in my mom-voice, it came down to, "We paid a lot for this, so you are going until the end!"
The car was quiet again and I started to think about school. How do our students feel when they are learning something if they don't see a purpose? Learning to just learn isn't motivating enough for them anymore. How can we be creative and capture their passion? It doesn't have to be a huge event on a stage with lights and screaming fans. But how can we create a sense of purpose to learning?
The key is sharing. Are they completing a project for the teacher to grade and hand back, and nothing more? Or can we push them? Celebrations of learning, inviting others to be an audience in the classroom, showcasing their work publicly, and connecting with others online all give a purpose to their efforts. When kids have a purpose, they perform with more passion and effort. Can it be a little scary to share what you have learned with others...yes! But the feedback they receive and the smiles of pride on their faces after they share make it worth it! As adults, they will need to be able to create work they can share with others for evaluation and feedback. Our students need a purpose to be motivated. Otherwise, what is the point?
