The author of the article, The Tao of American Idol, attempts to decode what the Idol judges really mean. For example:

When Simon says …

“You didn’t do anything different with the song.” What he really means is “I am incredibly bored right now. Thank goodness they pay me so much money to sit here and listen to this.”

Based on my work this year, providing intervention to struggling readers via a intervention program, I’ve decided to decode some of what I’ve heard a lot of this year.

When a teachers says, “he’s so low,” what the teacher really means is that he knows the student is having difficulty but he has no idea where that difficulty lies and how to help that student.

When a teacher says, “he’s easily distracted,” what he means is that the students finds lectures and paper and pencil activities really boring.

When a teachers says, “he’s totally clueless,” what the teacher means is that none of the class activities have yet found a way showcase the child’s intelligence.

I can’t stand blaming teachers for all the ills of the world but I do think we can reframe our thinking about student achievement and lack thereof. We can better pinpoint student difficulties and make sure we’re planning activities that engage multiple intelligences and allow all students to be successful at something. We can also ensure that we’re not boring.

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