We Really Need a Strong Foundation

In a recent leadership meeting, we participated in the Spaghetti Marshmallow Tower Challenge. The winning team had to construct the highest free-standing tower that could support a marshmallow sitting on top, using only spaghetti and masking tape. We had 15 minutes to complete the task. Our team completely agreed that the base needed to be strong in order to support the weight. The height of the tower depended on the strength of the foundation. As far as the actual structure, well…. Let’s just say that we did not win. I’m going to be totally honest with you…I lost interest in the task pretty quickly. It was challenging, and I really didn’t have any interest in struggling with it. At one point I actually said, “I’m sorry. I stopped caring a couple minutes ago.”

The week prior to the marshmallow challenge, we were asked to complete a walk-through of a colleague’s classroom. I visited a social studies class. The students were reviewing for their upcoming unit test. The teacher had divided the class into groups, using data acquired from previous classwork. The directions for each task were on the board for reference. The teacher specified directions before students rotated to the next activity. It was a beautifully planned and executed lesson.

It just so happened that one of my reading intervention students was in this class. His first activity was working on a computer program (read an article, answer some questions). He raised his hand because he was having trouble with a multiple-choice question that was asking for a synonym of the word “decision”. He couldn’t read the word. I read the question aloud to him, and he immediately clicked “choice”. His next activity was an independent walkabout that matched people and terms to their correct descriptions. Students were to read clues posted at different spots in the room, then walk to the correct answer in order to receive their next clue. The rest of his group chose a clue and took off in different directions. My student just kind of stood there. He was looking at the clues and glancing down at his notes. By all appearances, he was fully engaged in the task. But in reality, he was at a complete standstill.

So, what did I take away?

Just like the height of that spaghetti tower, our students’ learning is solely dependent on what kind of foundation is in place. My student did not have the necessary foundation to be successful in that classroom on his own. That thoughtfully planned, beautifully constructed, and well-executed lesson was inaccessible to him. And the truth that no one seems to want to talk about is that this problem is not just isolated to one or two kids in a class. A strong literacy foundation is missing for SO many of our students. Imagine for a moment trying to make it through a school day when you are unable to read or write about the materials being presented. What I see happening on a daily basis is the students’ response becoming, “I’m sorry. I stopped caring a couple minutes (or months or years) ago.” 

We need to do better.