Molasses Classes

I recently stumbled across a book by Ron Clark (Founder of Ron Clark Academy) that talks about 101 solutions for parents and teachers to end "molasses classes." His ideas are very intriguing and I will share a few with you in hopes that you pick up this book to read it!

In the preface, Ron talks about finding himself drawing back to the word molasses that he related many slow things to throughout his childhood. He "witnessed teachers with no energy, students who were struggling to prop up their heads, and classrooms that were just checked out and uninterested," leading me to ask the question, how many classes could we walk into and see authentic engagement of the students and teachers? I'm assuming there are very few. I realize there are some topics that we must teach, linked to the curriculum, that seem nothing but dry, however, can we not create an environment where students desire to learn even the dry material?

Of the following images, which words have the most meaning for you when you think of a classroom?

When I think of classrooms that I have been a student in, the words that stick out most to me are uninteresting, tedious, dull, and boring. I have often been forced into learning subject matter in a way that is the opposite of stimulating, seems to have no goals, and encourages you to dose off. Why is this?

How can we, as teachers, work together with parents to support and engage students on their education journey?

What can we implement into the classroom environment that encourages students to focus, be engaged, and collaborate with one another?

Of the 101 SPLENDID ideas that Ron Clark proposes in his book, The End of Molasses Classes: Getting our Kids Unstuck - 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers, I will delve into just a few of the solutions.

Part 1: RCA's Core Principles and Values

Teach Children to Embrace their Personalities and 

Present Themselves with Confidence in all Situations

We are so engulfed in the media and it's incessant desire for us to be like someone else. Someone smarter, someone prettier, someone richer, someone who is not us. In the classroom, students should be able to be confident in themselves, which in turn allows for deeper class discussions and more meaningful interactions. It is so extremely important for students, especially in the early ages, to know that they are cherished, their ideas are valued, and their personalities are unique.
Ron writes about an experience he and his co-founder had where they were uncomfortably surrounded by wealthy people that they viewed as 'stuffy' but were challenged by a woman who told him to not "let them dictate who you are or the way you behave. Go out there, be yourselves, and be excited to tell them about your school." What better way can we teach confidence than portraying it ourselves? As teachers, and parents, it is important for us to pursue a confident behaviour complete with eye contact, firm handshakes, and friendly smiles.

Set the Tone for a Love of Learning

Teachers are not the be-all, end-all of knowledge, they are also learners! Be a learner alongside your students, if you don't know the answer, find it out with them. As Ron writes, "the absolute best way to get a child excited about learning is to display the amount of emotion and passion for learning that you hope to see in the child." It is so important for teachers and parents to show curiosity and interest in our own endeavours as well as in what our students/children are learning. If we are uninterested in what they are sharing, how do you think they feel? How often are the apt to share with us if this happens to them frequently?

"The absolute best way to get a child excited about learning is to display the amount of emotion and passion for learning that you hope to see in the child." - Ron Clark

Part 2: The Role of the Parent in the Success of the Child

Show Them How to Study, Don't Expect it to Come Naturally

I still am learning how to study, after 13 years of primary/post-secondary school and 5 years of university! Studying is something that we need to learn how to do, not just expect people to know how to do it. As much as we prepare students for tests at school, we also need the support of parents at home. Parents, come to your students class and just sit while taking in the learning, energy, and spontaneity that occurs in the classroom, it is unlike anything else. By experiencing the classroom, you are better able to understand expectations of the classroom and can help your child study at home. Go through and use various study habits to see which ones work the best for your child.

You can make the process of studying fun. You can tape key bits of information underneath the toilet bowl seat, on the milk carton, and in the sock drawer. Organize study parties...surround them with the best in the class, you are helping to push them to that expectation. Remain positive and upbeat, approach learning with a fun and confident attitude so your children follow suit.                                                   - Ron Clark 

See the Potential in Every Child

In The End of Molasses Classes, we read that "when we raise our children, we need to remind ourselves that they will become what we see in them." How much more confident would you be if people constantly expected you to put in your best efforts, be a hard worker, and gave you praise for it? I know it would help me to become a confident person. Now begs the question, how do you equally see the potential in every child without singling out one child over another in various areas? I believe it takes practice (although I may be mistaken as I am not yet a parent), perseverance, and hard work. But what better way to demonstrate having potential to be the best person you can be than by demonstrating it yourself? Help a teacher out and support each of your children in their own ways as we all have different potential!

Part 3: Creating the Right Climate and Culture

Open Your Doors to the Parents

Parents are a critical part of every child's education, why not include them in the classroom too? Have an open invitation to parents to come visit the classroom when they are available. As Ron suggests in his book, have an open house day where parents come to each and every class for the full day to experience what their children experience on a daily basis. Challenge them, engage them, and make them participate! This is the best way to show parents what the expectations are of your students so they can uphold that standard at home as well. It also makes them feel more comfortable approaching you when they need to, giving you better insight into the lives of your students, in turn making you a better teacher.

Encourage Children to Cheer for One Another

Teachers should not be the only people praising in the classroom. Is there a rule against peer praise in the education system? I sure hope not, because it reaps many benefits. Students become more confident in themselves as the present their knowledge, interact with peers, and participate in the classroom when they know that their classmates are rooting for them. In order for this peer praise to happen in your classroom, you must create a supportive, respectful environment that will encourage your students to do so.

Part 4: Reaching Out Beyond the Classroom

Build Strong Bonds with Parents

At RCA, they have a teacher vs. parent competition at the beginning of the year (such as playing a few rounds of musical chairs) because it gives both parties, and the students, a positive and happy memory full of laughter that they can reflect on. It allows for barriers between school and home to be broken down so that parents feel comfortable entering the school because they know that they can have fun with the staff. Parents need to "be as much a part of the school as the students and staff members. They need to feel loved, respected, and a part of the education of their children." Welcome them into your school and classroom.

Accept the Fact that if Kids Like You all the Time, Then You're Doing Something Wrong

Children want us to be strict, they want us to set boundaries, and they want us to be consistent. When we are able to pull all of that together, we earn respect in their eyes          - Ron Clark

As an aspiring teacher, currently finishing my B.Ed. degree, I realize that we want to be the students' friends and are afraid that they students may not like us, however, there is more to teaching than that. We need to teach our students, through our own actions, that we have high expectations, respect breeds respect, and behaviours result in consequences whether positive or negative. It is so important for us, as teachers, to hold our students accountable for their actions and ensure they know that we will accept nothing but their best efforts.


In conclusion, this book is an easy read, as it is written in short sections, however, it challenges us to revisit what we see as good teaching, engaging classrooms, and education in general.