It is always easy to make assumptions when working with kids. We see what we see. We have our own context to make sense of what we see. And when a young person has a history of making the same mistakes, it can be even easier to jump straight to those assumptions. As you work with kids long enough you learn that sometimes your instincts and assumptions are correct. However, sometimes your assumptions are wrong.
Case in point, a group of students sitting around a table at school and not in class. Some of them are working on school work and some of them are on their i Pads playing games. The natural assumption would be to think that the students doing school work are the good, serious students and the students playing games are wasting their time and are off task. Sometimes your assumption will prove to be correct. But in my experience, sometimes, even in this ‘obvious’ scenario your assumptions will be wrong.
Sometimes, it is the students who are playing games that are the good students. They are playing games because they have finished all their school work and are ahead of schedule. Sometimes the students are not in class because their teacher let them out early as a reward for their completion of all their assignments.
Sometimes, it is the students you observe working on their school work that are the actual slackers. They are only working on their school work because they are behind. They are only out of their class because the teacher asked them to leave because they were behind and the class was going over the assignments that they have not yet completed. I have seen this scenario many, many times.
How do you know the difference? Talk to the students. Don’t go straight to accusations. Ask them. After you know the real story, then decide what to do. And always remember, your assumptions may not always be correct.