“Essential
Qualities of a High School Graduate”: Persistence, Confidence, Resilience,
Patience, Openness, Creativity, Adaptability, Courage, Perspective, Empathy, and
Self-control. Lichtman
Do you
feel the students we are graduating have these qualities? Why or why not?
Respond to one other person.
I think some of Glitchman’s essential qualities of a high school graduate describe some of the students with mild handicaps. They have to be persistent in order to achieve, they believe in themselves; they have been shot down so many times, resilience has to be there. The only time I see lack of patience from them is directed inwardly, they want to readily understand concepts rather than having to work so hard to grasp the idea. They are open to suggestions and adapt the way they complete tasks. Above all, I see them as courageous – I think of the courage they must have to come to a place day after day, where the work is hard. This place shows them they are different from other students in regards to their learning rate and yet, here they are, smile on their face and ready to perform tasks.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I also see students who are ‘entitled’ and show none of the essential qualities.
I think we are graduating both kinds of students and their attitudes reflect their personalities.
I liked your response regarding those students with mild disabilities. I can see where they would be more likely to have those qualities than those who are 'normal'. I also agree with your statement about those being 'entitled' and we are graduating both kinds. Not every person is the same and we all fall at different on the continuum of maturity and essential skills development.
DeleteI like your comment about the mild handicapped students having courage! They most definitely have that quality to come and work day after day when learning is difficult. I also agree that both kinds of students are sent out into the world.
DeleteI agree with your statement about the mild handicapped students. Generally speaking, they have so many of the essential qualities because they are needed in their everyday life. I also agree with you that both kinds of students are graduating and heading out into the world.
DeleteI appreciate your comment. I'd agree those who have had to overcome a little diversity may be more likely to develop persistence, resilience, courage, perspective, and empathy.
DeleteI admire your statement regarding mild handicapped students. They most certainly do have a lot of the qualities stated by Lichtman.
DeleteMy first reaction is no. I was surprised at the list. However, I don't know many high schoolers except when they are out in public. Some seem like rowdy kids but there are some that seem mature. They are at that stage of still being 'a kid' and starting to grow up and be more mature. Then you hear about students who come up with these lists and surprise me at their maturity. Out of the list given, I see persistence, empathy and self-control as being the most difficult for high schoolers to demonstrate. I would like to think that all high schoolers are capable of these qualities, but there are always exceptions to the rules. Unless you work with them on a daily or weekly basis, you wouldn't necessarily see these qualities come out.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you that persistence, empathy and self-control are the most lacking in teenagers today, also that students behave differently in different environments, so it can be hard to judge weather or not a person really has these qualities or not.
DeleteAbsolutely not! I believe that today's high school graduates possess entitlement, helplessness and egotistical attitudes, but they are pretty skilled at taking tests. Learning the above mentioned qualities cannot happen in a classroom full of lectures and bookwork. They are gained in real-world situations. Teenagers that worked a part-time job during their high school career have a much better chance of learning these traits than those that did not. I do believe that these traits can be learned in a school setting, but it takes conscious effort from teachers and administrators.
ReplyDeleteI agree if the child or young adult has a job while still in school they are going to have a better chance at being successful outside of school. They're going to experience pressure of the job by knowing that they have to work hard in order to keep that job and get paid and that in turn they will start to realize as long as I have my job I can drive my car, buy my own things, pay the bills, excetra excetra. They're going to experience dealing with coworkers and/or bosses that are hard to work with and all they need to do is step up and do their job better to make coworkers and/or bosses happy and they are less likely to be let go from that job. That to me is adaptability one of the qualities that is mentioned in this chapter.
DeleteI like how you mentioned real-word situations as being key to learning most of the given qualities. I think there is so much learning that happens outside the classroom...esp if we can get children/teenages involved in the communities they live in.
DeleteYou said it all and more!
DeleteCouldn't have said it any better! I mean, I don't think EVERY student is like that, but probably a good majority. Whenever I see students demonstrating the qualities you mentioned, I think back to my class when we were their age and go, "Oh my gosh... Did WE act like that?!?!" I hope not!!!
DeleteI think they do possess most of those qualities, at least to some degree. Thinking outside of the classroom, there are kids in our schools, neighborhoods, and towns that go through so much at home that they do have courage and are resilient, they have to be to survive! I also think they have empathy, but it's often misplaced. For example they do not like bullies but do not realize or care when they are being the bullies themselves! And kids are way more adaptable than adults! The other qualities, probably not so much. Of course there are always exceptions. But I'm not sure most of us possessed those qualities when we graduated. A lot of that comes with time and experience. It's an interesting list, something even adults need to work towards on a daily basis!
ReplyDeleteRegular education students have at least two thirds of these qualities about themselves. But with special education students they may have two or three or even next to none. All these qualities that are presented in this chapter I have no question of what a student or young adult will need when they get out into the adult world. These are great qualities to have in order to be better prepared for life after school. The reason that they don't have all or most of these qualities is that they don't look too far ahead into their own futures of what they want out of life. TV, social media, violent movies, video games, national and world news that they are exposed to every day have and effect on our youth. Young people are not getting their selves prepared for life outside the family home in order to be living on their own. Some of these young people are going to have trouble holding down jobs because they don't want to work hard or have not been pushed to work hard in the past where the real work or school work. They don't have expectations to put on themselves in order to be successful. These qualities from this chapter are great qualities to live by and we need to show and explain to our young youth what these qualities will do for them.
ReplyDeleteI feel the students have most of these qualities. I believe people display these qualities based on their personality and ethics taught in the home. I think high school graduates learn and improve these skills with life experiences and age. In today's society, self-control may be more difficult because one can get about anything with a touch of a button.
ReplyDeleteI agree that self-control is affected by the instant results of today's society. Also, persistence, patience and adaptability. It seems that our students expect to have instant success and often don't keep trying...persistence and adaptability. I think social media has made true empathy a little harder....for those who only communicate that way.
DeleteAccording to Lichtman, the “Essential Qualities of a High School Graduate” are: Persistence, Confidence, Resilience, Patience, Openness, Creativity, Adaptability, Courage, Perspective, Empathy, and Self-control.
ReplyDeleteI think that many of our students are graduating with these qualities. Personally, I feel that much of these qualities depend on the family the students are raised in, the qualities their parents encourage and model. Organizations like church, 4-H and FFA also encourage these qualities and help youth have a chance to get some hands one experience in these. Schools also can encourage these qualities. Sometimes I think we're so focused on testing that we don't have time to allow some hands on experiences. Vocational classes and extra curricular clubs and activities are a great place to learn and practice the qualities.
Sadly, if parents don't want their children to gain these qualities it is really hard for schools or any organization to teach them. But, we have to keep trying by modeling these qualities and encouraging them in our students.....and maybe over time they will "take".
I wonder what parents would say are the qualities their children need to be successful and life.....and how they perceive these qualities that Lichtman listed?
DeleteI feel like we graduate all types of students. We are in a very ME centered world right now and so we see a bigger chunk of our students coming into our schools and leaving them that are very self-centered and all about what is best for them and only them and what will benefit them at the right here and now stage. There is however a small percentage that we graduate that do have a lot of these good qualities that were listed. Those kids come from homes where values are still taught, consequences are still dealt and enforced, and they have self-worth and ambition. Those are the kids that are successful when they go out into the world and if they fall flat on their face they jump up and try again 10 times harder.
ReplyDelete"We are in a very ME centered world right now and so we see a bigger chunk of our students coming into our schools and leaving them that are very self-centered and all about what is best for them and only them and what will benefit them at the right here and now stage."
DeleteI couldn't have said it better myself. We have been taught that it's a "dog-eat-dog" world, so being self centered isn't a bad thing. We all have to put ourselves first, but not at the detriment of others. What are some activities that you think we could do to foster this mentality and positive behaviors?
Absolutely not. We are doing a wonderful job encouraging empathy, but so many students lack perspective and self control: they are so caught up in their worlds and thinking selfishly that they forget how their actions affect those around them. This is not just the parents fault - as educators, it is our responsibility to make sure that our students become well rounded people. In terms of Persistence, Confidence, Resilience, Patience, Openness, Creativity, Adaptability, Courage... our students have no idea what those are. They have been taught to think concretely. That there is a right or wrong answer. And they wait to be led to the answer. They are resistant to change. Common Core is seeking to break this hostile embodiment of what American education has become and afford our students an opportunity to be successful both now and in the future.
ReplyDeleteI don't work at the high school level and I don't have children that age so I don't feel like I am qualified to have an opinion on that topic. I do know that I am raising my children to have those qualities.the skills they are learning by being involved in church activities, 4-H, team and individual sports. I also know of several recent graduates who emulate these characteristics...and several who do not. I think it is important to promote and encourage those qualities in children. Teaching persistence, perspective and adaptability are a part of working in a group.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
DeleteYour comment, "they learn by being involved..." really struck me. I too am working hard to raise my young children to embody these characteristics and I am somewhat choosy in who my children make friends with and what activities they get involved in. However, many children today are not involved in anything and simply roam the streets from after school until dark. Being away from parents all day isn't always the problem, but these children are not filling that time with constructive activities. And part of that... relates back to the ME culture on numerous levels. Parents don't prioritize money and/or time for their children. My husband and I moved to our community only to be bombarded by groups asking us to volunteer to lead something, because no one else wants to. Even when parents want their kids to do stuff, they don't want to be the one who has to do it.
I think your point about using extracurricular and outside activities to support these qualities is so important. Schools and teachers can't foster growth of these qualities on their own; children need to see these qualities at home and be encouraged to grow in these areas there also.
DeleteI guess answering late on these is a bad thing because everyone says what I think and there is no way to re-word what has been said. I do think kids in a smaller town who have family who originated from there seem to have a better grasp on being involved and looking outside themselves to some degree. I really believe that schools that do some sort of project for their community (like a mitten drive or food drive) helps students somewhat see that where they might be privileged, there are others around them that aren't, helping them to not be so self-centered.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky in the aspect that my own children were raised in my home town with grandparents and uncles/aunts that looked out for them. They got away and will get away with some stuff, but because of family, they also show some self control and know not to step out of line. Also, my Jr. daughter is now going to work at the rest home as a CNA and is learning things are in the real world with a job.
What Courtney said is so true of this generation of kids! There is a right or wrong answer and kids will sit and let someone else give them the correct answer or flat out do the work for them and the kids expect it to be done. But with such a gap in the upper middle class/wealthy and now the much larger lower middle class groups, I feel that entitlement feelings are going to be more pronounced and that "'daddy' will take care of my problems" instead of little Johnny or Susie taking responsibility for their own actions. Also, with our society of if something breaks (including marriage or relationships) just throw it away and get something new instead of working to fix something that's broken. But that is the impression that our young people have gotten for several years about our educational system. What they were being taught (and I'm talking older kids, not grade school so much) is broken and we have a new way of fixing it at any cost to your self esteem! Even though if you look at the baby boomers and the children of the 70s (do we have a name like gen X or boomers???) we are the ones in the jobs that are creating more jobs and I truly feel for the most part that those that can adapt are advancing and the others that can't are finding new jobs or retiring. And we were taught in the same system as our brothers and sisters. Sorry I digressed!
There are really only so many ways to say yes and no about this question. There will always be some (one) student who embodies most or all of these qualities. In a small community/school that number will be less because the pool is smaller and the school resources are less making teachers less equipped to help students grow into these qualities.
ReplyDeleteMany others have already said, we live in a pretty self-centered society; which when paired with the CCSS is a pretty difficult match. I introduced the website visuwords.com to a group of 4th graders and gave them a list of things they were supposed to find for each of their spelling words. We systematically went through the site so they knew where to find things and then I let them work. Only they were finding it increasingly difficult to find the answers... because they weren't willing to look beyond what was literally in front of them on the screen. It proved to be a more frustrating activity than I imagined it would. Lucky for them - I am persistent, and we'll be working with it again!
In a general sense, I think that we are trying to encourage students to have a good character, and many of these could be attributed to someone with good character. I think we are also pushing students to have a good attitude about things, especially things outside their control. However, I don’t think the school can foster all of these attributes, though they can create an environment where they are more likely to develop and grow.
ReplyDeleteI think that these are amazing qualities for students to have when they graduate. I'm not sure, however, that all students are graduating with these qualities. I think we are definitely encouraging these qualities; however, with the testing situation like it is, I think more focus is on making sure that students do well on tests, rather than being good citizens. It's kind-of sad really, but it is what I see happening. I think that as parents, we are pushing these qualities on our own kids and we are hoping that other parents are doing the same.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely something to aspire to, but I don't think we are quite there yet. There have been some students who have really surprised me stepping up to real life challenges after graduation, and those that have left me wondering hard what else we could have done.
ReplyDeleteDon't some people spend there lives still building these skills? I agree that those who have more of those qualities now have had the support of home and activities with service projects to help build those qualities. I know I've been in the position too, of giving the hard sell, that we need to give responsibility to build responsibility. It's hard for teachers to provide the opportunities for kids to practice these skills when they haven't seen them be successful with them yet, but isn't learning any new skill a little that way? It seems this is also where the modeling of "lead learner" would be really important.
I do not work with high school level students. However, I know that we often "expect" students to demonstrate these characteristics. In reality, many of these are learned emotions and behaviors that need to be taught and modeled. I believe that it is easy for us, as teachers, to expect students to just know how to be resilient or know how to preserver. It is important that these components are taught instead of teachers assuming students will be equipped with them.
ReplyDeleteI feel like some students probably possess some of these qualities, but that very few, if any, possess all of them. I remember having a conversation with my practicum advisor in grad school about how I’d do at my first job. I was really nervous and didn’t feel like I’d be ready to handle it; I didn’t feel like I could remember everything I’d be taught. He told me that, initially, my job would seem like 80% science and 20% art, but that as I progressed in my career, my job would be 20% science and 80% art. Meaning that when I first started, I’d likely rely heavily on the facts, figures, etc. that were drilled into us during coursework, but that I’d gradually rely more and more on my inter and intrapersonal skills to be successful. At the time, I don’t know if I was completely on board, but now I totally see what he was talking about. I think it’s unfortunate because with a lot of students’ home lives, they might not learn any of these skills. Then, when they come to school, I don’t really think we’re teaching it to them either because we’re so focused on state testing, etc. etc., that they walk out of here kind of unprepared for various real-world situations.
ReplyDelete“Essential Qualities of a High School Graduate”: Persistence, Confidence, Resilience, Patience, Openness, Creativity, Adaptability, Courage, Perspective, Empathy, and Self-control.
ReplyDeleteI feel that some students may have these qualities coming out of high school but most do not. I feel some of these qualities are taken from them as times have changed with social media and computers. I feel that they have no self control in that their action in public or on social networking show disrespect to friends, co-workers or family.
They sure do not have creativity as they are very much computer nerds. They don't know how to be social or create something with their own minds. If they can't look it up on the computer and it pop up in a matter of seconds than it is not worth trying to figure it out.
I do however think they have confidence in any technology based item. They are not afraid to sit with any device and figure out what they need to find out. They have confidence in the technology but do not have confidence in confronting the problem face to face and rely on technology to do this for them.
I feel patience is slim because when their friend does not reply immediately to a text then there is rage. I feel there is no patience or time to think about things if you want it then you pick up a device order it and it is done whereas I grew up having to search a physical store for the item.
I find it heartbreaking as I have 2 step kids and 1 of my own in this generation and it is very difficult to understand their actions and how they think. Yes our parents said we were difficult but this is a very hard generation to make them have thinking skills even though you know you tried and teach it to them. They just are in a different world for sure that is not looking down a good road to follow. Not every child is like this however a majority of today's teens and mid 20's have this mindset. It is sad very sad when you are the parent trying to do what is right.