I once heard a teacher complaining about how difficult the new work was for the students. How hard the problems were, and she was afraid the work would stress the students out.
I replied,
“Never in the history of school, has hard work destroyed a student.”
We Have Confused Discomfort with Damage.
In today’s educational climate, we are quick to protect students from anything that feels uncomfortable. If the text is complex, we simplify it. If the math problem requires multiple steps, we shorten it. If students struggle, we rescue them before they get frustrated.
Let’s be clear.
Trauma is abuse.
Trauma is neglect.
Trauma is instability, violence, hunger, and fear.
Rigorous instruction is not abuse or neglect.
Rigor is demanding effort.
Rigor is requiring students to push through their frustrations.
When we label rigorous work as “harmful,” we unintentionally communicate something dangerous, “You are an emotionally weak human, and we don’t believe you can handle challenging work”
And students begin to believe us. And students begin to believe us. AND STUDENTS BEGIN TO BELIEVE US.
Maurice Guest Jr. 