School started this week.  Just like the last 16 years, I could not sleep for the first two nights.  Tired and that funny feeling in my stomach, I made it to work almost an hour early.  The room was set up and the lesson plan ready for day one.  The students were smiling and bouncing from room to room.  At 12, they still are excited to start a new year.  They seemed open and ready to engage in learning.  By the third day (after a pretty good sleep), I interviewed each student on video into my computer to save for later use.  I asked them three questions:  1.  What are two goals you have for this year?   2.  What is one long term goal you have for life?  3.  What are two things I should know about you?

First, I was shocked how many came into the hall with sweat dripping from their foreheads because they were scared of being on film.  I encouraged each student and gave them some positive feedback.  My goal was to save these files until the end of the year for them to view and comment on.  BUT, of course the new cloud server did not really save them, all were lost.  Oh well. 

What I found most interesting were the comments:  yes, some talked of all A's, Honor Roll, and wealth and fame, but most talked about one word:  confidence. 

I was stumped on this one.  I did not expect these students to say "I lack confidence in my ability."  I don't know why this hit me so hard, but it has forced me to think about  how to move forward.  I know kids gain confidence from doing a task well, taking pride in it.  So, I have to find ways to provide chances for my students to gain confidence from doing great things with our content.  I have a feeling this is going to be a harder task than I thought.

I wonder what else they would tell us about learning, if we really listened?