Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Edition 3/7.3.1
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
Contents |
[edit] The Hope Factor By Hope Jackson
[edit] Introduction
Visit any classroom, and you will find an assortment of students. For instance, a classroom in America may have learners that have learning disabilities, different learning styles, and a variety in ages of students in primary, secondary and especially post secondary schools. This fusion of learners can be reclassified into varying socioeconomic groups, family types, and those with varying degrees of health, among innumerable other factors. Each of these factors makes for the diverse classroom of learners we will strive to educate. But among these students there lies within one commonality; like a pulse it connects each and every one of them despite their differences. What is it? Every student contains the intrinsic desire to learn. Learning is an inherent part of our being as children and with maturation into adulthood; it is a mandate for survival and success into American society. Unfortunately, sometimes external factors such as poverty of resources and/or support can overpower this intrinsic desire, preventing or impeding success. Conversely, sometimes society can categorize individuals, albeit unjustly, by demographics, socioeconomic status, race or even gender, goading individuals to settle for less than their best, stripping them of hope. This can make learning like a vertical wall, unconquerable, instead of a bell curve--a normal distribution of learning and subsequent mastery of ideas and concepts throughout life. How can educators help our students achieve in spite of themselves and their circumstances? By employing “The Hope Factor”.
File:Bellcurve.gifhttp://www.bostonherald.com
[edit] The Hope Factor
I am a product of the “Hope Factor” so I know that “it” is effective. What I did not know until recently was “it” had a name. Reminisce with me back to my childhood. At the age of three I was reading (without comprehension of) my mother’s Sidney Sheldon novels and shortly after I was enrolled in the Head Start program, a preschool program for low to moderate income families. I stayed in this program for two years and upon graduation, as the only child in the class who could read, I narrated our graduation play “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”. By the age of seven, I was advanced into a third grade classroom; I continued to thrive. As you read this you may be thinking, “Big deal. I know of someone who has done that. Now you’re
| “ Hope: likelihood of success; a chance that something desirable will happen or be possible.> “ |
attending college and will live happily ever after.” But my story does not end here. I graduated from my local high school at the age of sixteen, not as valedictorian as one may assume, but as the mother of two children, a son and a daughter. I had become one of our nation’s deprecating statistics: “an African American adolescent mother”. Ashamed and embarrassed at the time, I never dreamed of attending college and vowed to support my children by working two and three jobs. Ten years later someone planted the seed of postsecondary education within me. When I attended college I was “extraordinary” once again, but not yet because of my academic abilities but simply because I was many years older than the majority of the incoming freshmen. Since then I have earned my Associate’s degree and I am currently completing my Bachelor’s degree. How did I get to this point? The encouragement of an educator equipped with “The Hope Factor”. My mentor was an individual that motivated me, pushed me to succeed and when I felt like giving up he always told me not to. When I needed a word of encouragement, he was there. He was someone who looked beyond my circumstances. If you are contemplating a career in education you should ask yourself if this is something that you can do for this is the embodiment of “The Hope Factor”.
[edit] Definition and Implementation
Atron Gentry defines “The Hope Factor” in his book, “Learning to Survive: Black Youth Look for Education and Hope”. This literary work highlights his life and explains the importance of the educators in his life, “two teachers [that] took an interest in me and helped me.”(p.41) As an urban African American youth growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s, he found a support system in his teachers. They looked beyond his immediate circumstances to guide him into his future successes. After becoming an educator, he explains the incorporation of “The Hope Factor” into his first teaching job and as a result, helped an enumerable amount of students. Although there are many tenets of “The Hope Factor” he summarized the following about encouraging his students:
“Ultimately, it is more than just self-esteem. It is having a purpose in life and a reason for living. That need and goal is bigger than black and white, rich and poor.” (p. 41)
Have you ever walked into a classroom and observed a child acting out starving for attention? Principles of “The Hope Factor” ask the educator to consider the possibility that the student is hungry for learning. Don’t rule him out. Give him some well deserved attention and encouragement and see if the behavior changes.
Dr. Dwight W. Allen, Eminent Scholar of Educational Reform at Old Dominion University, once stated in one of his lectures, “We do not know anyone else’s background therefore they may not have the means or ability to do the things that we can do.” (Allen, "The Forgotten Half"). Therefore we must guide our students and assist them in the areas in which they need support. Give them the resources to do what we have done and more. Support from my mentor helped me to develop determination, resilience, and the desire to help others achieve what I have achieved, including those that have encountered more or less resistance than I have faced on the path of life.
We must realize that students of any age need respect, encouragement, and motivation. As educators we can provide these things without spending any extra time. We can easily drop a word of encouragement to a discouraged child or reward for a child for a job well done. “The Hope Factor” not only addresses students at risk of failure but all students. If the student is successful now, there is no guarantee that his or her future successes will be uncomplicated. As educators we do not have the ability to choose which of our students will be “successful” and which will be “failures”. If we attempt to do this, we may stifle the fire of determination inside our students. I write this article to enlighten current and future educators of the importance of motivating students and increasing students’ self esteem. “The Hope Factor” was given to me and it is something that can be given to all students.
| “Healthy self-esteem is a child's armor against the challenges of the world. Kids who feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressures. They tend to smile more readily and enjoy life. These kids are realistic and generally optimistic.” [[1]] |
[edit] Conclusion
Gentry applied his philosophy, “The Hope Factor” in the 1970’s but its basic fundamentals can still be applied today:
1. Everyone can learn. The key is confidence and motivation found through trust-trust that you can show your weaknesses and learn from them and go beyond them.
2. Everyone can benefit from helping someone else
3. Everyone wants to be a part of something. (p. 50)
[edit] Multiple Choice Questions
1. When did Gentry develop “The Hope Factor”?
a. 1920’s b. 1985 c. 2000 d. 1970’s
2. What does the author suggest that a teacher do when a child seems to be “acting out, starving for attention”?
a. Send the child to the principal’s office. b. Yell at the child and belittle him in front of the class. c. Send the child to in school suspension. d. Consider the possibility that the child is hungry for learning.
3. According to the side bar: “Healthy self-esteem is a child's __________ against the challenges of the world.
a. Armor b. Protection c. Best friend d. Safety
4. Gentry found a support system in:
a. His teachers b. His neighbors c. His friends d. His siblings
5. The author suggests that all teachers should:
a. Encourage their students b. Motivate students c. Build the self esteem of students d. All of the above.
[edit] Essay Question
What are some ways that an educator could implement "The Hope Factor" in order to motivate their students?
Using the Hope Factor can be simple. It requires the educator to look beyond the student’s present situation albeit positive or negative, and help the student to understand the importance of having dreams and making moves in order to complete their dreams. It means instilling into a student, despite their age, socioeconomic status, grade level or grade point average, hard work produces results. A student with the correct motivation and resources is a potentiality soon to become a reality.
Providing a support system of colleagues, social service agencies, and federal agencies are just some of the resources that may be necessary. In addition to assisting the student in may be necessary to work in partnership with the student’s parents and other teachers in order to increase the chances of his/or her success.
While the teacher is assisting the student with their future it is important not to forget that the student should have a good self image or self esteem. It is important to explain to the student that although the process of completing a task such as college for example, will not be easy but it is important to stay focused on the task. Providing support systems outside of the school is useful as well.
[edit] Answers to multiple choice questions
1.d 2.d 3.a 4.a 5.d
[edit] Works Cited
Bell curve (http://www.yourdictionary.com/bell-curve)
D.W. Allen Personal Communication March 13, 2007
Gentry, Atron, M. (1994). Learning to Survive: Black Youth Look for Education and Hope. Connecticut: Auburn House.
Jackson, Hope Personal Communication November 27, 2007
Sheskow, David. & Taylor Lukens, Colleen. (June 2005). Developing Your Child’s Self Esteem. November 27, 2007 from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Developing_Childs/
Stelter, Gilbert A. "London (England)." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2005. Microsoft Corp. 12 Mar. 2004 <http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761574117/London_England.html>.
