What Do Students Bring With Them?
Two students can sit through the same lesson, face the same expectations, and receive the same encouragement, yet walk away with completely different beliefs about what they are capable of.
One thinks “I can do this.” Another wonders, “Maybe I’m just not good at this.”
What makes the difference? Sometimes, it starts with whether a student can see the strengths they already have.
That’s what makes educator Cathleen Beachboard’s recent Edutopia article, “The Michelangelo Phenomenon: Encouraging Every Student to Meet High Expectations,” so timely. Cathleen explores how recognizing students’ strengths can help bring out what they are capable of becoming, and shares how she uses the Thrively Strengths Assessment with her students to help them discover and recognize their strengths.
Her experience raises an important question: before we ask students to meet high expectations, do we know the strengths they bring with them?
High Expectations Don’t Mean the Same Path
Every student deserves high expectations. But high expectations don’t mean every student needs the same path to reach them.
- A naturally curious student may begin by asking questions.
- A creative student may draw or visualize an idea.
- A student who thrives through connection may talk through a problem with a classmate.
The learning goal can remain the same, the path can be different. Cathleen describes this in her own classroom: her students work toward the same learning objectives, but their strengths influence how they begin the work.
That’s an important distinction.
Differentiation isn’t lowering expectations. It’s giving students different entry points to reach them.
And knowing student strengths gives educators another way to create those entry points.
What Happens When We Start With What’s Strong?
Too often, conversations about students begin with what they need to improve.
What if we also asked: What’s strong with you?
- A student may be struggling with writing but have exceptional curiosity.
- Another may struggle to participate in traditional discussions but have strong visual or creative thinking.
- Another may find a task difficult but bring persistence that keeps them going.
These strengths don’t erase the challenges, but they give students something to build from. When students understand their strengths, the conversation can shift:
From “I’m not good at this” to “What can I bring to this?”
Help Students See What They Can’t See Yet
One of the most powerful examples in Cathleen’s article is a student who entered her classroom believing she wasn’t good at English. Her strengths assessment and conversations with her family revealed something different: Curiosity was one of her greatest strengths.
Instead of focusing only on what was missing from the student’s writing, Cathleen began recognizing and encouraging the questions she asked. Over time, those questions helped the student develop stronger analysis and writing, and more importantly, her perception of herself changed.
She no longer saw herself simply as someone who was “bad at English.” She began to see herself as someone who asks good questions.
Sometimes students don’t need someone to tell them they can do everything. They need someone to help them see what they already have that can help them do something difficult.
Name the Strength Behind the Success
Knowing student strengths can also change the way educators give feedback.
Instead of simply saying “Good job,” what if we named the strength behind the success?
- “Your curiosity helped you notice something others missed.”
- “Your persistence helped you work through that challenge.”
- “Your creativity helped you find another way to solve the problem.”
Now the student isn’t just hearing that they succeeded, they’re learning why they succeeded. That gives students language they can carry into their next challenge.
Where Thrively Fits
This is where Cathleen’s mention of Thrively becomes especially meaningful. In her Edutopia article, Cathleen shares how she uses the Thrively Strengths Assessment to help her students discover their strengths and create a shared language for talking about what they can do.
That’s at the heart of Thrively’s strengths-based approach.
The goal isn’t simply to give students another assessment.
It’s to help students understand themselves.
The Thrively Strengths Assessment gives students an opportunity to discover their strengths, interests, and aspirations, while giving educators a deeper understanding of the learner in front of them.
Because knowing that a student is struggling tells us something. Knowing who that student is while they are struggling tells us much more.
Start With Strengths
Cathleen’s experience offers a simple reminder:
students don’t enter our classrooms empty-handed.
They bring strengths, experiences, perspectives, and possibilities. Our job is to notice them, to name them, and to help students learn how to use them.
High expectations still matter. But perhaps the best way to help students reach those expectations is to first understand what they bring with them.
Sometimes, the most important thing a teacher can help a student discover is not something new. It’s something that was already there.
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