“Ah HA!” --- My Favorite Classroom Sound

It’s probably a favorite sound of yours, too. You spent two sessions going over the intricacies of Coordinate Geometry. All your students gave you their rapt attention. As you covered each step: “This is the X-axis…it’s the horizontal axis. This is the Y-axis…it’s always vertical. Understand?” Of course they all did. Heads nodded, pencils moved. “Each point on the chart is described by the intersection of an imaginary line perpendicular to the X-axis meeting an imaginary line perpendicular to the Y-axis. For example, to plot the point (-3,4) you must move left from the origin along the X-axis to negative three, then up along the Y-axis to four, and put a point there. Any questions?” There were none. So you proceeded, plotting a few more points, voicing the instructions each time. Then suddenly, without warning, from the back of the room you heard the exclamation: “Ah HA!” Now, there was no doubt that Billy really DID understand! You could almost see a bright lightbulb hovering over his head. His smile was broad. So was yours. “Ah HA!”…the sweet sound of success.

Certainly, when one of your hard-working GED students successfully completes the program and shows you her certificate, or when an ESL student tells you about a job interview “in English,” you’re quite proud of them. Unfortunately, though, you’re not there for the moment of elation. It’s more a vicarious success in those cases. While you’re happy for the student; and you understand, intellectually, that you’ve done your job, there’s no emotional rush. But have Billy or Maria shout “Ah HA!” in your classroom, and your heart soars. Your smile is almost as broad as your student’s. It’s an involuntary reaction. It’s like magic! It’s what makes the endless repetition and the late nights worthwhile. Even the other students in the class have no doubt as to the meaning. Success.

Last Wednesday, during a break in my ESL class, I heard an “Ah HA!” come from a small group chatting in the corner of the room. Since that sound always gets my attention, I inquired as to the reason. Well, a couple of weeks ago we had a class discussion concerning one of my Spanish-speaking students planning to ask for a raise at his workplace. Turns out, when he was hired his boss told him that if he improved his English, a raise would be forthcoming. The student felt confident enough in his English now to see if his boss agreed with this self-assessment. When my Turkish-speaker asked the Spanish-speaker during the break whether he was successful in his approach, the reply was in the only language those students have in common: “Ah HA! I almos forget to told you! My boss sayed yes. I now gets 25 cents more each hour.” Clearly, we have more work to do with the English, but that unmistakable sound of success was evident despite any errors in grammar, or any accent.

There have been times, indeed, more times than I care to consider, when no matter how often I repeated the lesson, or how creative I thought I was in presenting the material, one or two of my students would be left ignorant. That’s when I enlist the brains of the other students. In GED there are often a few students who are fast movers. They usually grasp the lesson the first time, and sometimes even remember a different approach to the problem from when they were first introduced to it in years past. As for ESL, I have several students who are college graduates in their native land, so they have ample experience in learning and studying. I encourage those at the head of the class to assist in bringing the others along. My way is not the only way; and sometimes it’s not even the best way. So it’s not surprising to have side discussions whispered among the students when I’m at the board. And it’s also not surprising to hear the occasional “Ah HA!” during those sidebars. Again, whenever I hear that sound I stop what I’m doing in order to discover the cause. I’ve even been known to utter the sound myself upon hearing what brought it about in the first place.

About two years ago I was teaching a lesson on Percents. Always a favorite subject among GED students…well, maybe not. Anyway, I heard an “Ah HA!” from a student-to-student discussion. I was then shown, for the first time in my life, the Percent Wheel. “Ah HA!” said I. “What a great technique.” I now teach it regularly whenever those pesky percent problems are on the schedule. It may not be the most elegant way to think of percentages, but it works…every time…and that’s what my students need. Success.

So regardless what course you’re teaching, and regardless the age or gender of the student, or even of the teacher for that matter, whenever “Ah HA!” is heard in a classroom it is clear to all that education has been achieved. It’s a cause for celebration. It’s a reason to smile. You’ve been successful!