ISU Physics Teacher Education Program
Copyright 1998 Carl J. Wenning
During the 1994-95 school year I had the good fortune of teaching a physics course at University High School (UHS). This was a meaningful experience for me in light of the fact that I am in charge of the physics teacher education program here on campus. When the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it as a way of gaining additional experience in the high school classroom. I am a certified high school teacher endorsed in physics and mathematics, but by that time I'd been out of high school teaching for sixteen years.
My time at UHS was fruitful and productive. However, the experience left me with an unsettled feeling. I was unable to reach one particular student who was exhibiting self-destructive behavior. This student was well mannered in class, but he was otherwise set on self-destruct. I was having fits trying to get this student to turn from his destructive ways (not doing homework, not turning in labs I know that he had completed, doing well on inclass projects, but poorly when at home preparation was required, etc.), and felt agitated in light of the fact that I couldn't get him to change his behaviors for the better. As part of this paper I want to reflect on this situation to see if what I have learned in my psychology course (PSY 302) wouldn't have helped this student had I known then what I know today. Let's call this student "Albert" for the sake of the discussion.
Albert came from a well-to-do middle class family. He had all the advantages of a solid home life. Mom and Dad (I met with them several times) appeared to be happily married, and to be reasonable and level headed. They both agreed on the way that they should "manage" Albert, and this appeared to be along the line of an authoritative parenting style. In discussions with these concerned parents they noted their exasperation at not being able to influence Albert for the better. Albert had let his grades drop, was failing to perform his homework and prepare for tests. This was so in all of his course work. Albert was also working 40 hours per week and was experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
Albert was a contradiction in terms for me. He was intelligent and appeared to be socially well adjusted. He was somewhat the class clown, but he appeared to be well liked by his peers and was a pleasure to have in class. Albert was one of the most insightful students in the class. When others were still thinking about solutions to a problem, Albert's hand was waving. His assertions were generally correct. I appreciated having his insightful comments, and frequently communicated my thoughts to him both publicly and in private. We had a great teacher-student relationship. After talking at length with Albert's parents about his academic problems, I engaged Albert one day before class (and out of earshot of others) and spoke with him about his academic failings in light of his apparent intelligence and insight. I noted how surprised I was at the apparent contradiction between his academic abilities and his grades -- especially in light of the fact that he had been an honor student in years past. I also spoke with him about his work schedule, and suggested that he reduce the number of hours that he worked to a reasonable number -- perhaps twenty. Albert promised to do better at getting his homework done, and preparing for in-class assignments and exams. These conversations took place time and again. We even wrote a contract relating to these matters, and I gave him additional time to turn in missing assignments. He promised profusely to do so, but not changes were forthcoming with the exception that he was now working twenty hours per week. The course moved on to its conclusion with the close of the school year. In the end, Albert just barely managed to pass my class with a letter grade of "D."
Reflecting on this case, I'm lead to think about coercion and motivation. I now believe that students can be coerced from the outside, but motivation must come from within. Though his parents attempted to coerce Albert to change his behavior, it was clear that his internal motivation must have been stronger. Albert was making bad decisions that would influence his life in big ways, and his peers appeared to have more influence than his parents and teachers -- in contradiction to the more normal state of affairs among adolescents. What motivated Albert still eludes me. There is no clear reason that I can see from my PSY 302 experiences that motivated Albert to act the way he did. He didn't exhibit a lack of coping ability, as neither Albert, his parents, nor I noted any source of stress in his life that might have caused Albert to act so. It appeared to me that Albert irrationally had set himself on "self-destruct." Albert is still a mystery to me.