Luck and Ruby Payne

I am constantly amazed by my students-- but, sometimes not in a good way. Today I was walking through the hallway with Juan Pablo and we were talking. In my head, I was conducting a language development lesson with him because Juan Pablo needs all the good English modeling he can hear and these walks through the hallway after bus duty allow me a brief 4 minute window of concentrated modeling . And while I very often speak in colloquial English, during these sessions with Juan Pablo I keep my language filter high so I only model the best English that I can offer. We were talking about the writing assignment from yesterday in which students were supposed to write about computers. ie. How they use them, why they like them, what frustrates them etc. Juan Pablo was saying that he was so lucky that he's got a really high score in Symphony Math (a computer-based math tutorial program we have for our students). I looked at Juan Pablo and said, "No, it's not luck that has caused you to have such a high score, Juan Pablo, it's your hard work that has earned those points." "Yeah, I know," he replies, "I'm lucky like that." And he flashes me his cutest grin. "No," I say shaking my head and speaking a little louder and enunciating carefully. "Your high score is because you work hard and and you're good at math, Juan Pablo. It's not luck, it's your actions." "Yeah, I know. I'm so lucky." he says grinning and looking pleased with himself.

My steps falter for a moment and I swear that Ruby Payne flashes into view in front of me in her svelte red power suit lecturing me, "The biggest difference between children raised in poverty and those raised in our middle class is that children raised in a middle-class home understand a causal relationship between hard work and grades while those raised in poverty attribute their success to luck and therefore are never responsible for what happens to them. This, more than anything else, will hold them back and keep them in poverty."

Words enough to send chills down any teacher's back but this is my student and I am unwilling to accept that. I say, rather sharply, "You are not listening to my words, Juan Pablo. You EARNED those points through your hard work. Luck has nothing to do with it." "Okay, Ms. Klein..." he says, trying to pacify me.

Little does he know that he has just waved a red cape in front of me and we are by our locked classroom door. He stops and waits for me to unlock the door but I turn to face him and bend down to meet him eye to eye. I gently cup his round cheeks in my hands and look into his eyes. His eyes widen a bit as this isn't something I do very often, but this important to me. "Juan Pablo," I say softly, "I need you to listen carefully to me." He nods slowly looking at me in wonder. "Juan Pablo, you are not lucky. You are smart and you are a hard worker. That's why you have so many points in Symphony Math. YOU earned those points. Now look at me and tell me you are a hard worker." "I'm a hard worker." "Yes, Juan Pablo, you are a hard worker and now, tell me you are smart." His face lights up in my hands and his smile splits his face in two, "I AM smart!" "Yes, you are smart. You are smart and a hard worker and that's why you will get lots of points in many things, not just Symphony Math." I pause because my heart is screaming so loud I can't move. "I will not allow anyone, ANYONE-- not even you, to be less than your totality, Juan Pablo," I shout silently. I catch my breath finally and smile into his eyes and say, "Now, let's go read." "Okay Ms. Klein!"

This isn't over, by any stretch of the imagination. I will be all over this now that it has come to the forefront of my thoughts. I'll be on the lookout to reinforce this with all of my students because they are all so very important.

I have no idea of what they will do or be... but I do know that they are the most precious of gifts to humanity.

They are our children.