When my 3 year old poops in the toilet, I think of my high school students.

So during the break my three year old son suddenly started using the bathroom the way it is intended to be used.  Consistently and without urging, he decided to go there instead of everywhere else.  It wasn't necessarily the bodily functions that made me think of my students.  It was, in fact, the reactions that the little guy had after his accomplishments.

He was joyous and seemed to have a great sense of satisfaction with himself.  He had conquered something difficult.  He had done it on his own time-frame, on his own terms, and by taking control of the situation himself.  He had done more than go to the bathroom like a big boy.  He had taken control of his own life, his own actions, and he realized the power of self-determination.

But enough about my philosophical toddler.  My thoughts go to my students.  High school.  Advanced Placement.  I want for them that same sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and self-determination.  I want them, like my son, to take control of their own destiny and face what is difficult.  And conquer it.  I want my students to understand the importance of making a conscious decision to be in control of their educations.  That it is theirs, and they SHOULD be in control of it.  They should shepherd it to where they want it to go.  It is not the role or the responsibility of someone else to be in charge.  They should take hold of their educations, nurture their learning, and realize the power of self-determination.

And let me add just one more thing that I realized after sharing these ideas with my students.  We had tried for many long months to get our son out of pull-ups.  He was routinely bribed with his favorite candy.  When successful, he triumphantly proclaimed, "I get M&M's."  Nevertheless he was inconsistent.  It didn't stick.  What did work was that he decided he was ready.  No extrinsic reward improved his behavior on a regular basis.  It was the intrinsic value that he saw in doing it the right way for the sake of doing it the right way.  Now he emerges from the bathroom and doesn't mention candy.  Instead, his nakedness walks from the bathroom and simply says, "I did it."

In most learning, the intrinsic reward of doing it right and doing it well should outweigh any extrinsic reward.  Don't learn to have someone else give you something.  Don't do it because of what you are going to earn.  Do it because of what you are going to learn.  Learn in order to know and to do.  Do it the right way for the internal satisfaction of doing it well.  Your learning process will be more effective and your life of learning will be deeper and more meaningful.

And when you hear those little feet slapping their way back to the bathroom, realize that we all make decisions to do it the right way consistently, or to just let it go.