Is there any chance...?

 One quote that caught my attention from the book Student Engagement Techniques by Elizabeth Barkley and Claire Howell Major (2020) is: “Students must have confidence that, with appropriate effort, they can succeed. If there is no hope, there is no motivation” (p. 20). Although hope was the last thing left in Pandora’s box, the authors suggest that for students, hope is the first condition for success. Without it, motivation cannot exist.

This quote comes from Chapter 2, “Engagement and Motivation.” I came across couple of strong candidates for my reflection from both Chapters 1 and Chapter 2. One idea I found particularly intriguing as a mathematician is what I like to call the ‘zero-product property,’ where the authors emphasize that it's about the product, not the sum. However, after reading the quote: “Students must have confidence that, with appropriate effort, they can succeed. If there is no hope, there is no motivation” (Barkley & Major, 2020, p. 20)—I immediately stopped reading, turned on my computer, and began writing. I felt affected and deeply triggered by it.

What struck me was its dramatic tone and the sense of non-negotiability in the phrase, "if there is no hope." It made me feel hopeless and somewhat sad. If we need hope to navigate our daily life with all of its struggles and challenges, how can we not expect the same for our students—or even ourselves when we are in the role of a student? 

That phrase, “if there is no hope,” made me reflect on my teaching experiences. I remember students asking me, “Is there any hope I can pass the course?” I also remember being a high-school student with an A in one of the math courses, when I needed an A+ .

It was almost end of the school year, May, sunny and warm. I could feel the warm breeze on my cheeks as all the windows were open. I approached my teacher at the end of the class and asked him: “ Mr Alexander, I know it’s May. I know I should’ve taught about this earlier, but is there a chance for me to get a final excellent grade? An additional project? Redo tests? I must have excellent grades to enroll in the university I planned.”

The teacher said, “I understand. Yes, there is a chance. Please show me your notebook.” I felt ashamed. My math notebook was the same one I had been using for all my school subjects—biology, literature, chemistry, etc. I quickly flipped through the pages to find the math section, and when I did, it was a mess—my handwriting was terrible, and everything was disorganized. He looked at me and said, “This is what you will do. You need to rewrite your entire notebook. Organize your thoughts, redo the problems in a neat and clear way, highlight the important definitions and theorems, and you’ll earn the missing points.”

I was ecstatic. My friends felt sorry for me, thinking I had an impossible task ahead, but I was happy. As the book points out, I had hope, which fueled my motivation. I completed the task and got the missing points and the wanted grade, which was the most important thing for me then. Now, I believe that the teacher knew exactly what he was doing. He was experienced and well-known for his fairness, thoughtfulness, and integrity throughout our town. He taught me the importance of keeping my notes neat and organized, which helped me in my studies later and throughout my life. However, now I see that wasn’t the most important lesson. Even more importantly, he gave me hope! When I asked if there was a chance, he said yes! He gave me a lesson I’ll never forget. It became a part of who I am. At the time, I didn't understand the theory behind it, as I barely understood why he had assigned me to rewrite the entire notebook, but I accepted it. Now, it's time to approach this idea from a theoretical standpoint: what does having hope truly mean for students?