My sophomore students are diving into the research paper writing process, a requirement of high school students all over the nation. I recall writing one myself, on diabetes, and another in a later school year on capital punishment.
Although they did not seem excited about this assignment at first, they have really gotten into it. The great thing about this requirement is that although most of the process is outlined for them with little room for creativity or bending the rules, they are allowed to choose their own topic. What happens, then, is the students actually want to do the research, they want to find out more about their subject, and they want to write about it to demonstrate how much they know about it. I wasn’t sure if this would happen, but for the majority of the students, this is how they are approaching it.
One of my students who is failing all of his courses actually picked up a book and was reading it quietly at his table in the library today. I couldn’t believe it! Here is a boy who cares for nothing in school, and will be here all summer because he hasn’t passed anything. I have always worked hard to meet his needs, and make as many adaptations as possible to keep him trying. Despite my efforts and the great relationhip that we have, he hasn’t been turning in assignments. To watch him read, and write, was just amazing! He rarely participates in any classwork, but he’s actually going to do this – and if he does, it definitely goes in the success column of my efforts as a teacher!
