This year's class is no exception. We definitely have our own collective personality. Unfortunately, with our wonderful social distancing rules, other people - visitors, families, and other teachers - do not get to witness our class as much as normal. Here is a glimpse into what I see in my students this year:
A Drive to Improve
They may not have come to me with any such aspiration to build on their current knowledge, but it didn't take long for them to latch onto my own desire to catch them up and get them to excel. Apparently, we have just the right combination of kids in our classroom that this longing to improve has become contagious. Moreso, they do not do so out of competition, but they also encourage their classmates.
The Vulnerability to Make Mistakes
In recent years, I have made it a goal to get students to identify their mistakes and correct them. That means they must be individually inclined to admit they messed up. We celebrate the conquering of errors. This is not an easy thing to accomplish: it requires participants to be vulnerable, open to criticism, and accepting that they don't have every skill they need to succeed on the first effort.
A Desire to Achieve
On the heels of their drive to improve comes a desire to achieve. These kids do not just want to improve; they want to know more and learn more. They want to BE better people. They feel great when they earn academic and behavior credit. They try their hardest to get their work done correctly. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule on this list, but for the most part, Hoggatteers in 2021 are making the effort.
A Willingness to Elevate Others
Peer pressure goes a long way, but positive peer pressure is a magical thing. If my students do not earn a reward, they still make an effort to support the ones who do. Instead of making jealous comments or whining the emphatic, "Not fair!!!", they applaud and compliment their classmates. They do so with genuine support and I as the teacher do not have to prompt them to make this happen.
Compassion
More than academic success, my students have empathy. They care for one another. They share each other's pain. We have had a couple of occasions where the class, in unity, has proven their compassion for a person in pain or a person with an emotional situation. Here is a group who can laugh and cry together without regret.
Kindness/manners
Here is also a group that picks up on the little things. When one student started saying please when ordering a school lunch, the whole class followed suit. When a student started saying thank you when the teacher passed out work, the rest of the class did the same. One student set the example of helping someone pick up something dropped, other students picked up on the same action. Kindness and manners continue to be contagious.
An appreciation for light-hearted fun
The 2021 class of Hoggatteers also knows how to be fun. As seriously sappy as the rest of this list sounds, this class knows how to tease and take teasing. These kids know how to joke and laugh in the midst of a difficult world. I am just as thankful for this as I am for anything else on the list.