Getting Rid of “Good”

“How was your weekend?”  – good
“How is your day going?”  – good
“How was school today?” – good
“How are you feeling?”  – good

Okey dokey.

As a teacher, I can assure you, if I had a nickel for every time a student answered one of my questions with “good,” I would be retired on the Riviera.

This year, I took the bull by the horns and banned the word from my 5th-grade language arts class. My students can answer my queries with ANY other word BUT good. I even wrote GOOD on the board and directed them to write as many synonyms as they could think of instead. Bonus, they are allowed to “bust” me if I use the word.

It can be a monumental challenge to communicate with the children in our lives.  Yet it is an obstacle I must face head-on, because developing a rapport and understanding what makes my students tick is a vital aspect of my job.

For the times I find my kids stuck on “good,” here are my strategies to get the wheels turning.

Q: “How was your weekend?”
A: good
Dig Deeper: “Great!  What’s one thing you did?”
This is where the relational aspect of my job comes into play. Are they into sports, dance, or video games? This allows me to add more detail to my question, such as, “Who did you play against in your football game?”

Q: “How is your day going?”
A: good
Dig Deeper: “Give me a number, on a scale of one to ten.”
Once I get the number, I can follow up with, “What makes it a 7?  Or what makes it a 1?”  If it is a low number, I don’t force them to come up with something positive; it’s ok if they are having a rough day.

Q: “How was school today?” (This conversation usually takes place in the carpool line, so I have to act fast.)
A: good
Dig Deeper:  “What made it good?”
If they shrug and say “I don’t know,” I pivot to asking them what is their favorite subject – lunch counts – or inquire where they got a tchotchke on their backpack, or comment on their shoes (we wear uniforms, so it’s all about the footwear!)

Q: “How are you feeling?”
A: good
Dig Deeper: “What’s another descriptive word for good?  The one to beat in my class right now is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
If that doesn’t engage them, then I say, “Our next word is ‘bad. ‘ Can you be the first to come up with another word for bad?”

I don’t always hit a home run, but I do usually gain a little more insight into what approach works with each student. Persistence pays off, and, with any luck, our exchanges will become better, positive, excellent, super, great, keen, swell, groovy, peachy, marvelous, satisfying, and superb.

Looking for more ways to get your kids talking? Be sure to check out Dinner Table Questions to Hear More About Your Kids‘ Day on Atlanta Mom.