The Voice - Student Edition

Relationships matter. Teachers who care about their students matter. Being heard matters. Multiple ways to show learning matters.

At last week’s EdLeader21, Dr. Russ Quaglia facilitated a student voice panel. When he was concluding the session, four young Georgia students shared those statements in response to what mattered most. It wasn’t the first time they said that. Throughout the 45 minute panel, their message about what was most important in education was simple and clear: YOU. Again and again, students wanted their teachers to hear these three things: 1. I matter. 2. We matter. 3. You matter.

The research backs this up. If you know your students hopes and dreams, they are 18X more likely to be academically motivated. A simple survey at the beginning of a course can help teachers know about their students. One student shared a creative way that his teacher got to know them, a brilliant question: “How would what you are striving to be help us in a zombie apocalypse?” 

Students know when a teacher KNOWS them. They like hearing their names and having genuine conversations with their teachers.  Students believe they have something to teach us.  Students want to know WHY teachers teach. They believe if teaching is a passion, then it is no longer a job.

And while all of this was affirming, enlightening, and just an all-around great reminder, it was just one part of the bigger message. We need to hear our students. Students need to be invited to share their insights. One participant reminded us, “The past 200 years, ADULTS created the very best schools we know how. Would it be totally crazy to ask students what they think?”

Students should be participating colleagues in our work. Our friends in Farmington, MN include students in their Instructional Rounds. They ask students what they see and what works for them. The students’ points of view offer meaningful feedback. And it’s powerful for students to see their teachers being vulnerable and open to feedback to improve.

How we invite students to share can and should be decided locally – at the classroom level, at the building level, and ultimately systemically. Students are not just the consumers or customers of education; they are our reason for being. They should be our partners.

The final thought from the student panel was this:  just know me and let me know you. This will help me grow.