LEAVE IT TO THE SWEATS

“You sweat!” jeered one of my year 10s to the other. His tone one of loathing, disgust and pity. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as I was once again faced with the reality that no matter how much I praised my student for the correct answer, it would mean next to nothing compared to the inflammatory remark from his peer…

Somehow I know that this will be a relatable exchange for any teacher. Whether it’s in their English or PE lessons, boys seem to relish the opportunity to criticise and ridicule another of their clansmen for applying themselves. It’s odd and unfortunately incessant.

The irony is, of course, that many of their idols are self-made, practice-driven, effort machines. Look at your YouTubers, your ‘influencers’, your rappers and your footballers – all, fair to say, are targets of today’s modern youth’s idolatry. All are ‘sweats’. All are ‘Try-hards’.

So, why then – do students weaponise this idea? Why do they turn another’s efforts against them and use it to persecute and shame what should be celebrated? It’s easy to cast this aside as ‘academia is uncool’ or that being seen to apply yourself goes against the counter-culture-esque lead that many of students seem to oppose our schools with. It’s harder to pinpoint when it becomes socially acceptable or unacceptable to label and lambast students for applying themselves. Is it when the group feel that a leader is emerging? Is it when the consensus of appropriate effort has been challenged by one’s endeavours? Is it a sense of jealousy? Weakness?

I’ll be the first to admit: I don’t have the solution. This is something that still challenges my classroom practice and more and more I find myself in conversation with other teachers who are experiencing the same thing.

However, I do have some strategies which alleviate some of the stigma and attempt to tackle a negative recognition of effort, participation and attainment.

Boys need praise. We all do. You know what, it doesn’t even matter if it’s the boys or not – students need praise. Breed a culture of sincere praise in your classroom. Make it desirable to be seen as doing well. Keep it short, keep it sweet, play it cool: our students are sharper than most of us care to admit and they’ll soon cotton on if you don’t mean it.

Get competitive ‘scrub’! Yet another term I’ve picked up (‘scrubs’ are players in a game who aren’t capable of winning). Despite their keen eye for spotting a bit of effort here and there, students are still susceptible to some well-placed competitive elements in the classroom. In fact, the ‘gamification’ of learning is in full swing; app designers and digital learning platforms use competition, experience points and levels to great advantage in order to motivate and engage our students – can your activities reflect the same ideas?

Tackle it head on. Whether it’s sexist, xenophobic or just downright dumb – teachers are used to shutting down an undesirable rhetoric. Don’t let them get away with it. ‘Culture’ seems to be an ever-present buzzword in the workplace but you do have the power to set the standard; uphold an appreciation of effort over attainment. Don’t be afraid to hold students to account for their contribution to the classroom vernacular.

It’s a sweaty world out there and our students will need to try harder than the other players present if they’re to come out on top. So, let’s banish the banter of the fence-sitters and bench warmers and get our kids out there and giving their all!