"All students are smart, as opposed to capable of being smart. They may not be smart about the same things, or in the same language. They may be smart about many things that others, especially adults, disapprove of or do not understand. But to respect the mental powers of students, teachers do not need to look at students' potential or their theoretical ability to reach school's idea of what it means to be smart. Students are smart. They are smart now.
My kids are smart. In so many ways. I am always so proud of them for the things they come up with, the observations they make, the things they say to each other that they don't think I hear. I don't ever want to lose that view of my kids - they are smart.
I feel like I need to come up with more ways for the "low-performing" kids to demonstrate their "smart-ness" in our classroom, while still encouraging them and supporting them to gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in school.
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