Owning One’s Work

A colleague of mine once described the importance of being invested in her work this way: “It doesn’t mean a thing if it doesn’t have my spilled blood on it.”  My colleague was a businessperson, so clearly the blood was metaphorical.  Yet, she had arrowed in on a truth that applies to all humans of all ages.  We want the activities we spend our time on to matter to us.

We all learn better when we care about learning.  I believe in guiding my students to forge meaningful connections between them and their subject, their assignment, their grades.  Since we tend not to ask our students what they think, many of mine are surprised when I ask them what they want to get out of their studies.  They usually say they don’t know, but I keep asking–because the struggle to answer that question thoughtfully is a way in to Owning Their Work.