I've Got a Problem

Thanks to Tim Ferris and Greg McKeown for an awesome podcast with a lot of material to riff on.

In the podcast, Greg shares a story that goes something like this:

A husband and wife go to see a doctor about their son. They say, "Our son has a problem. He lives at home, doesn't have a job, and doesn't pay rent. He's got a roof over his head, a warm bed to sleep in, and does nothing. What's worse is, he doesn't see that he has a problem. The doctor pauses for a moment and says, "He's right, he doesn't have a problem. You do."

“Your son doesn’t have a problem because he’s comfortable at home with you. He gets to do whatever he wants. He’s looked over. Life is fine. He doesn’t have a problem. You have a problem. Your job now is to help your son to have a problem. Let your son have his problem. You’re well-intended, but you’ve got it all wrong. You’ve got to let him own it. If he doesn’t have a problem, if everything is taken care of for him, he can’t move forward. He can’t get better.” (tim.blog) 

Obviously, I applied the situation to teaching.

A student has a reputation for not completing work, misbehaving and disrupting the classroom. They won't do anything that they are told to. They need constant assistance and teacher guidance. They can't do anything on their own. They are constantly told to do their work. No matter what, the student just won't listen. They take every opportunity to get out of doing work, even if it means escaping the classroom.

Who has a problem, the student? Nope. The teacher is the one with the problem.

The student has clearly identified their problem. They constantly have someone telling them to do things that they don't want to do. They have learned that if they don't do the work, they will receive more attention and assistance in completing it. They are completely comfortable with the situation. When confronted and forced to comply, they do the only thing they know how to: run.

It is up to the teacher/adult to get the student to see that there is a problem. How do we do that? Present tasks that are meaningful to them. I'm not talking about an "if you do this, I'll give you this" reward. I am not talking about clipping down on a behavior chart. Whether or not they receive the reward or clip down is of no significance.

No, I am talking about purposeful work. I am talking about understanding the child deeply. Know what matters to them and present a task in such a way in which they see value in completing it. Now, when they don't receive the assistance or attention that they are used to, there is a problem. There is a problem because they want to do the work. There is a problem because they care about the work that they are engaged in. Not doing it is no longer a choice.

The role of the teacher has drastically changed and will continue to do so. We are no longer the purveyors of information. We are no longer there to ensure that children are developing into compliant workers. We are so much more than that. We are there to help children learn to identify and solve big problems. It is difficult to do that when we can't even identify when we have a problem.