Are You Making Your Brain Stronger?

I think every teacher has one or two of those phrases they say constantly.

You know-
"Criss-cross applesauce!"
"Bubbles in your mouths!"
"You get what you get, and you don't get upset!"

Well, I have a teacher-ism I use all the time.

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At the beginning of the year, I pick up two pencils and start holding them like weights and curling my biceps. I tell the kids that I'm working out and I'm going to get super big muscles.

And of course, they start to laugh.

So I ask them why, and someone always tells me that my muscles won't get bigger when I'm picking up something so light. They insist that it won't work, even if I do it a lot.

I then tell them that their brain is the same way.

If you only do the things that are easy for you, even if you do them over and over- your brain won't get any stronger. You have to give your brain a challenge to make it grow.

I explain to them that, as their teacher, it's my job to make their brain stronger. That means I'm going to be trying to push them to try new things, and hard things- because if I only make them do things that are easy, their brains won't be stronger.

Sometimes, when I give them a big challenge, I call it a "Brain Workout." I tell them about when I started a new workout (Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred- whew. I am tired just thinking about it.) The first time I tried it, it was hard. I felt overwhelmed, my heart was pounding, I was doing terribly, and I just wanted to give up.

But the second time I did it, I was a little better.

And the next time, a little better.

Eventually, I got to where I could do it!- and I was pretty proud of myself.

And when it wasn't so hard anymore? I moved up to level 2, and made my body even stronger. And don't get me wrong, level 2 was just awful at first- but each time I did it, it got a little easier and I got a little stronger.

(... I decided that I probably didn't need to tell them what happens when you stop that workout program, but I suppose if you have kids that stop trying or stop doing their work, muscle atrophy might be a perfect analogy. )

This also works well when I have students who want to "help" others by giving them answers, or just telling their buddy reading partner the word. "Are you letting your partner's brain get stronger?"

Simply put... muscles are a great analogy for brains.

With my 3rd graders, I went on to explain how your brain actually has to make new pathways when you learn something new, and that's why it's so hard. Sending that first electrical impulse is much harder than doing it a 2nd time, or a 10th time, or a 100th time.

(Yes, I teach my 3rd graders about neural pathways and synapses. I am a complete nerd.)

So, I'm wondering... what do your kids hear EVERY day?
What's YOUR teacherism?