Accountability for High Standards

Abstract: This chapter made me incredibly nervous initially, as I deeply felt for this student. When I began reading, I could not understand why the teacher would push the student to such a level of discomfort, yet this proved to be an effective method. Once the student was able to relax and work his way through the presentation, this became effective not only to this lesson, but as a long term skill. I think this was my favorite chapter that we have read so far. I was very interested in the various ways of holding students accountable without being harsh or overbearing. I think my favorite part of this chapter was the discussion of moral accountability, with the primary guidelines used to help students determine whether they are acting an a moral manner. Whether a student or a teacher, I think this is an excellent guide to acting in a manner that one would be proud of.

Synthesis: One thing that provided me with a strong sense of conviction was the idea that we must stop thinking that standards ruin creativity. Although I understand the significance and value of standards, I always feel bogged down by incorporating them into my lessons. The checklist gave me a much better sense of how to implement standards without allowing them to over power learning. Another striking moment in this text was the student’s account of how a particular teacher always permitted him to hand in work late. I loved that he was able to rationalize that while this seemed great at the time, it hurt his learning in the long run. I feel that nearly every student longs for the ability to hand in work whenever they please without consequence, yet it teaches students absolutely nothing. I know that I will hold my students accountable for their work at the time it is due in order to instill a good work ethic that will help them in later years of school as well as in future jobs.