When I first thought about teaching, I thought what many who are entering the field dream of doing…bring change and enlightenment to the lives of those I would teach. After several years of teaching, I’ve discovered that the dream is elusive. It has an uncanny touch that is at once fickle and powerful; having a touch that is random and spontaneous like the lives of the ones we have taught. It does not touch everyone and is seldom with me, but its presence is indomitable.
Today, September 18th, 2002, a panel of students, representing the sophomores, juniors, and seniors at my school (Highlands High) came into the staff meeting to give us the results of questions that were polled within the population of the school. As the questions were read and the answers seemed to flow from their mouths, I realized at once how tenuous that dream is. You see, I came to the conclusion that we are doing so much to try and answer the questions and gather the data that we are missing the points: giving these kids a part of the dream, no matter how elusive.
Ms. Allen said that all the schools that had achieved success had several things to them: looking at the data and student voices being two of them. The data, I believe, does not matter in the larger comparison scheme because it is a case by case interpretation depending on socio-economics, student population, varied student backgrounds, and a plethora of other factors. The student voices, as well, are not representative across the board, at least not in the sense that every school that has used student voices has had the same results for the same questions. Student voices vary within each population as well. One of the students remarked that if certain kids wanted to do it they would do the survey, but if they did not, they were not forced to. However, usually the ones that answer such surveys are ones that actually care or feel they have some intrinsic stake in it for them. They believe that there could be change, if just a little.
Another student remarked that those that want to learn will and those that don’t, won’t. Now, if we assume that those that care, even a little, answered the survey, the changes would affect them and effect their lives. We can, on the flip side, assume that those that did not answer the questions or did not care, will not be helped or may not benefit from such changes because these changes may or may not be what they want. So, we will in turn help those who care. Hmm…isn’t that what we are doing now?
We have many students in all our classes. Half of them care to do any work while the other half could give a hoot. Now, if those that cared answered the questions, then, we are still only assessing half the student’s needs and therefore, the half that we were hoping for would be lost, getting tossed further and further back as their self-esteem and motivation drops more and more because they see the kids who have always done well do well and those that are on the edge crawl out while they are stuck in the center of the nightmare.
On a more practical note, most of the students remarked that many things that were taught held no interest to them. They wanted games, their own choices in reading, motivation through movies, and many other things that make me question exactly what we teachers are supposed to be. Are we supposed to entertain these students, find the best way to support them through contemporary media? You know what? Give us the money and material and no problem. I would have no problem doing so if I had the tools that I needed to do that. I would have no problem if any District did not control the types of things we show our kids. I know what these kids want to see and I don’t think it would be legal. I know what they would find stimulating and most of it would only further sink them into the wasteland that is the MTV generation instead of moving them into the arena of reading…where we need them to be, where the data says we need to move to.
The Seniors went on to say that those SAT-9 tests were a surprise to them, that they did not understand some of the concept, that we should “just teach it” to them. However, “just teaching it” contradicts the need they expressed earlier, the desire to be motivated by media and games and choice. Those tests do not give us a choice. They are cut and dry. If we taught to those tests, we would have an entire year of drills, multiple choice, and testing skills practice.
Some of the kids remarked that they should be quizzed more, given more time to study. I’m sorry, some of them get all the time in the world to study and nothing comes out of it. They waste their time. How do we give them more time, if they are going to waste that extra time? Do we entertain them as they study? Do we playact for them? What? Then, they would say that we are distracting them. And, how do we include all these quizzes, all these games and activities, motivate them all, and teach all the standards at the same time? How do we give them their dream of a “fun” education without sacrificing our dream of really teaching them what we think they should know?
Come to think of it, we all know very different things. How do we reach all kids the way they would like if every teacher teaches differently? Are we going to look for teachers that speak and act and know the same things? Well, if we did, we would lose variety of experience, lose the diversity that is the resource of our collective knowledge, a knowledge that is as diverse as our student population. We need that diversity because every student needs someone different, someone they can approach, be guided by and learn from; look up to.
The sophomores remarked that there should be more free time, that there was too much work sometimes. In contradicting the seniors desire for more quizzes, more activities, more games, etc., they have proven that even within the population that cares, that they all want different things. I just have one thing to say to those that think they need more free time. “Stop wasting all your work time talking and maybe you might have some free time. Start doing and trying and cooperating and maybe you might move faster, maybe you might gain that free time.” Ah, if only they realized that the 8 – 5 work day IS boring. Most jobs are not “fun.” Most jobs come with many more regulations and penalties than they have ever dreamed possible. School is not there for them to have free time, it is there so that they can see what it is like to work, to work all day and take it home with you and work some more. And, when they make friends, think of that as future references and connections. They just do not understand, and if we try to tell them, they will say “we are only in high school.” Ah, the short-sightedness of some of them. They want us to hold their hands and give them what they want while, at the same time, they want all the autonomy in the world to prove that they are the gods of their own universe.
One realization that was definitely reinforced was the fact that family, a good background, is one of the definite keys to not only getting an education, but wanting one, being motivated to want one. All those kids on the panel had that, the appeal of something better. They had seen it, heard about it, maybe even tasted it. But, what about those so entrenched in the muck they cannot see it? What about those without good family, without a good influence? Sure, they see the teacher, they see the good student, but when they go home, they see what they have always seen. How do we change that? Because, if we can figure that one out, we got it made. But, as of now, I guarantee you that no matter how many incentives you put out, no matter how much recognition you put out there, you will never get what you want: the elusive dream.
