Why Can’t They Sit Still and Stop Talking

October 26th, 2009

Over the past years of working as an instructional coach, there is one question that I hear more than any other, “Why can’t they just sit still and stop talking for a few minutes?” The strange thing is that the younger the students, the harder it is to stop. Recently I was working with an incredible 8th grade Social Studies teacher who asked me a similar question. I asked her the same question that I will post for ALL to consider:

What is the normal measure of a healthy newborn child? Doctors measure the muscle responses and the ability of a baby to cry. The Apgar test uses 5 different criteria (Complexion, Pulse Rate, Reflex, Muscle Tone, and Breathing) to measure a newborn's health. Only a few years ago (at least when I was born) Doctors use to swat the bottom of a child to make sure that their lungs were working. In summary, one is measured as “healthy” by their ability to move and cry. Let’s talk about the other side of life. A person’s life is declared over when their heart stops beating (movement) and they are no longer able to breath (movement and crying).

The obvious statement that I am trying to make is that we start and stop life using the criteria of movement and making noise and somewhere in between, we as teachers expect our students to “sit down and shut up!” Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe that we have to work with students to help them understand how to function in a collaborative society which does include sitting, focusing, and listening carefully but, it can not be expected 100% of the time. The question one should ask is, “How can I hook into life’s vital signs and make the most of these miracle features to make the most of learning?”

Thanks Jen!!!!!