#6 and #7

Last semester, I conducted a survey with a group of 10th graders at Bryant High School. The original project I was using this for was on "kid culture" but I wanted to add one more question to the survey to help me improve my teaching. The question I added was "If you could change one thing about the traditional classroom setting, what would it be?"

The answers varied from the funny to the thought provoking. Here are some of my favorites:

"I would put a water fountain in (the classroom)"-- says a student who uses all of his weekly hall passes to get water... he's diabetic.

"I would like to have class outside sometimes on pretty days." -- most of the classrooms at this school only have one window, and it's usually never opened and the blinds are shut.

"I like it when teachers are easy to relate to, and when they are nice. It makes me look forward to coming to class."

"I'd like to do more work on the computers."

The answers I got from this survey helped me to see what would give the students the motivation to do well every day. And while I can't get a water fountain installed in the classroom, I can do what I can to implement technology, stay nice, and switch up routine.

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This is a digital story of my journey to find out what motivates students. I didn't apply music to it, because... well, quite frankly I was scared.