Teaching the Unteachable Student

Do you remember where you were on January 20, 2009. If that date seems oddly familiar to you it is because that was the day that Barack Obama became the forty-fourth President of the United States. I remember watching this spectacular moment unfold on the t.v. at my place of work. As a High School teacher, I had organized with the librarian to bring down a few classes to the library to watch the historic event. She eventually had so many requests from teachers that she ultimately needed a second venue which turned out to be a big screen in the cafeteria to accommodate everyone. Both the library and the cafeteria were jam packed as teachers and students watched this unprecedented moment together. It was truly a remarkable day to share with my colleagues and students from all grade levels. I remember in the middle of the celebrations taking a moment to survey the students in the library. I noticed that on this day teachers did not have to deal with challenging students. It was not as if these students had decided not to show up (although I am sure some were debating the issue) because I clearly recognized many of them spread throughout the library. It was just that theses students (who would be regarded by many as hard to teach) were in fact learning and engaged in an uncommon but highly effective lesson. This day affirmed for me two things that I already knew deep within my soul. The first is that with determination and patience great things can be achieved. The second is that there is not such thing as an unteachable student.