The ultimate goal in life is to be successful. As a teacher, I hope that all my students are successful and that I can play a role in helping them reach that success. But, what does it mean to be successful?
Many people have different outlooks of what it means to be successful or what success looks like. The dictionary definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. This leaves a lot open to interpretation. However, in
For my charter network, student success looks like getting to and through college. This means that students graduate with their California A through G requirements, enroll in a college or university, and graduate with their bachelor’s degree in less than six years. Our mission is that schools will demonstrate student academic achievement growth and graduate students ready for success in college. That sounds really nice on paper, but what does that look like in practice? From my experience, this looks like longer school days, rigorous class schedules, SAT preparation programs, college field trips, and college application “
I would challenge that college is not always the path to success for all students. But, attending a high school that focuses on college readiness, challenges you with rigorous classes, prepares you for the SAT, and has you apply to colleges all
But, can we funnel all students through only one path to “success”? Students who don’t identify with that one college path have little to no opportunities to experience “success” while enrolled in school. It is so important that we provide all students with the opportunity to experience success. In the classroom that could look like improving test scores, understanding content knowledge an skills, or conducting an outstanding group project or presentation. It could also be
As a school and a larger school network, can we provide more opportunities and paths for student success? Can we show that students can be successful by taking many alternative paths? It is often that the path we deem “successful” is graduating with a California A through G diploma and continuing on to graduate with their bachelor’s degree from a college or university. Students can also be successful by going to trade school, becoming an apprentice, joining the military, or attending community college. All of these paths provide opportunities for success.
What I hope for my students is that they are all successful and find what success means to them. In my classroom, I hope to provide opportunities for my students to be challenged and to experience some level of success. Success is accomplishing one’s purpose and in order to be successful, you first need to find your purpose.