I began reading her introduction and noticed the usual uncapitalized words, mis-punctuated sentences and overall heavy in adjectives. One that I came across that just set me off, pulchritudinous. I proceeded to tell Ava that there was no way that she wrote this introduction. She does not talk like that and she could not have come up with that word. She told me, "yes, Coach Boyd, I did put it in my own words. Me, "Ava, no way. There is no way that you came up with pulchritudinous. Can you even pronounce it?" She tried and could not. I started to lecture again on using your own words to write your advertisement of your ecoregion and I heard her say, "ok". She started through her procedure in how she came up with her adjectives.
She typed in synonyms for pretty and brought the list up for me. She then pointed to the word and said ,"see". "I did what you taught us to do with our science vocabulary. I found different words to say something common."
I was shocked! And proceeded to tell her how sorry I was for accusing her of doing that. And that I owed her a sticker!
She did just what I had taught them to earlier in the week. I had high expectations but didn't think they could meet them. I sold my students short. Ava helped me to realize that when I hold my students to high expectations I shouldn't be surprised when they actually do meet them and that I should celebrate them as boldly and as loudly as I can. I will from now on, thanks to Ava.