Creating a Rigorous Environment

"Rigor is creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels."
-Rigor is Not a Four-Letter Word, By: Barbara R. Blackburn

As a Mentor teacher in my home school, I am faced with a rare opportunity to work with teachers who are working with the same students I have taught for the past two years. As a former 6th Grade Language Arts teacher, I now know the majority of 7th and 8th grade students, and get to interact with them in a different way, as I am in and out of their classrooms.

One of my mentees approached me with a concern about their current Advanced Language Arts students in 8th grade. As a teacher already known for his solid classroom management, and the ability to gain strong relationships with some of the hardest to reach students, he was baffled at their lack of concentration and motivation for today's lesson.

My first question: "Did you do the same lesson with them as you did with your 1/2?"
Answer: "Yes."
Response: "That's the problem. This particular bunch of advanced students will absolutely revolt if they are asked to do anything that they feel is beneath their abilities."

I knew immediately, that with this particular group of bright and thirsty students, that they never settled for less than they knew they deserved out of their education, and therefore from their teachers.

It reminded me of a book I had previously read, and thought now was the time to bring it out again to use with my mentee, "Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word" by: Barbara R. Blackburn. In this book teachers are called upon to not only understand what Rigor is, but to act upon their instruction each day as a way to reach students at high levels by questioning, prompting, engaging, and raising the bar. To do this you must use many styles and approaches to reach the students, from Bloom's Taxonomy, Hess's Matrix, Differentiation, to the Multiple Intelligences.

I am thankful that my mentee sought out my help, and I'm even thankful he went through this difficult lesson. Each failure is an opportunity to learn and grow for future experiences. He will become a better teacher to learn about rigor and attempt to be proactive with differentiation, as well as I will attempt to be proactive to reach more of the new teachers to help them raise rigor in their rooms, BEFORE they also have a class revolt in the name of learning.