for Courtney
The sirens called to villages all around.
"Send your fire trucks! We've got
lives to save! A house is ablaze!"
Brave men in yellow with oxygen masks and tanks
could do little except cool the cinders and cry.
As we struggled to accept this we said,
"...a good young woman." "...a selfless soul."
"...died trying to save her grandmother." "...so like her."
Her life ended with so much
for her to experience.
And the news reports say:
"Tragedy," "Loss," and
"Courtney Fischer, 19..."
And lots has been said about being shocked,
and lots has been thought about her absense.
As a high school student she often said,
"But Mr. Lentz, what if..." "I can't get it done?,"
or "I forget it?," or "I don't understand?," or "I get it wrong?"
The world will still be here for you tomorrow
to try again, to make it right.
Grieve as we must, we also must live.
"How lucky you were to know her.
How sad for those who will not."
If we cannot revel in being alive on this day,
then we will likely never find a day to be happy.
-----
Go here to read Courtney's obituary: http://juneaumessenger.com/2015/08/12/courtney-helen-marie-fischer-age-19-of-lyndon-station/
And here to read her grandmother's obituary: http://juneaumessenger.com/2015/08/12/judy-fischer-age-68-of-lyndon-station/
Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
A Place Of Respite In A Chaotic World
I was settling into the routine of the classroom as a student teacher on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. As much as I wanted to panic, I had to remain calm. One young woman chose to stay with me in the “quiet” room rather than watch the news because her mother worked for the Department of Defense and was in the Pentagon that day. It took seven days to find out her mother was alive and well.
I will never forget the intensity of that day and those that immediately followed. I learned that regardless of maturity level, the students still need me to set the emotional thermostat of the room. The content that I teach is important; the content of my character as a model for my students is more important. It wouldn't be right to say I find something to “love” in each of my high school students. For one thing, they can be annoying, egotistical, and confrontational. However, I believe my students need me to acknowledge their humanity while calmly leading our learning efforts.
I sometimes think of my students as characters in a novel; I am naturally drawn to the characters that experience the greatest change in personality, understanding, and/or disposition. Even my dependable, stable, and focused students are coping with the difficult transition from childhood to young adulthood. Some students have to deal with additional upheavals in their world as well; I am fascinated by the resiliency and drive of these students who must struggle. I know that I have something to learn in their successes and their failures.
At first it was a continual battle to get Steve to take off his hat, and when he took it off, the hat magically popped back on his head. As a “reader” of this character I inferred that the hat was about something more to him but I had to be careful not to jump to conclusions. Over a quarter we developed a good working relationship because I remained calm and took time to talk about his interests. He would take his hat off for me and take part in class.
When Steve's mother came in for parent teacher conferences she gave me more pieces of his story. She started crying as she told me about how they had been homeless for the previous three months. Steve's hat, an adolescent version of a security blanket, was one of few things he owned. Steve couldn't explain it to me; emotions are confusing like that. If I had yelled, written him up, sent him to the office, or in some other way broken our relationship over a ridiculous hat policy, he would have never worked for me again. I would have crushed his already weak ego.
I am only part of a small segment of my students’ developmental journey. Often I am reminded that the goal is progress not perfection. My students appreciate having a calm, kind, and understanding person to turn to in their chaotic lives; for some, my classroom is the only respite they get from a noisy world that reduces them to a set of numbers.
Friday, July 19, 2013
My Friday In The "Institution"
I am taking part in the Greater Madison Writing Project summer institute from July 8 to August 1. Each participant must log the work done during one day of the institute. This is my photo essay log for Friday, July 19.
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| The sunrise of Friday, July 19, 2013 finds me traveling to Madison, WI for a short day in the Greater Madison Writing Project (GMWP) 2013 summer institute. Most of the days are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Today we meet from 9:00 am to noon. This is the tenth day of the 18 day institute and I already feel overwhelmed with all of the new ideas for my classroom learned from my new GMWP friends. |
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| While walking to the Teacher Education building a freak rain shower starts. Later I am reminded that it is times like these, when you can see both the rain and the sun, that rainbows are possible. I'll have to remember that for a poem. |
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| Normally we meet at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Our two Friday sessions are, however, held here at the Teacher Education building at 225 North Mills Street on the UW-Madison campus. This is a relatively quiet part of campus, which seems fitting for a place where teachers gather to learn. |
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| In front of the teacher education building is a hole. Sadly it is not a sinkhole. We have had an ongoing joke about banishing our problems to a sinkhole. I also learned that you must be very careful walking on the rubber, temporary "sidewalk" when it is raining since it becomes a slip-n-slide. |
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| I am early. I have never mastered the art of showing up "on time." I like it this way. I've found a quiet corner near the stairwell to sit and write a little. |
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| When Christine enters the room she asks if I saw the double rainbow on my way in; I didn't but I'm glad she asks me about rainbows. It has made me think of the picture I took earlier in the rain. The other members of the summer institute arrive eager to take part in Christine's teachers workshop. Since we will need our computers, David helps Beth get her laptop connected to the wi-fi and logged in to the UW network. |
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| Erica starts the day by giving us our write in prompt. Her prompt is based on the fact that today is her cousin's birthday. Her cousin was the first baby she ever held. We are to write about firsts. I suspect that Carol's first is far more interesting than mine which is about my first attempt to get a driver's license (I failed but passed the driving test the second time). |
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| Andy (and everyone else) listens as Jen delivers her log from Thursday. She frames it as a trial transcript that proves quite well that teachers are neither being lazy or loafing in our summer's "off." |
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| We relocate to the PC Classroom 348 in the MERIT Library (still in the Teacher Education building). We get logged on and settled in as Christine prepares to start her workshop. |
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| The teacher workshop is a big piece of the summer institute experience. Each member of the group prepares an inquiry based, 90 minute session that focuses on answering some question he or she has about the classroom. Often this inquiry leads to some new technique, practice, or understanding that will become part of his or her classroom. Christine's teachers workshop is about incorporating wikis and blogs into the work she does at the Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth. She summarizes her current teaching practices, explains how she envisions using wikis and blogs as part of her work, and lets us explore these two tools in order to contemplate how we might use them in our own classrooms. |
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| These are three of the resources that Christine has us experiment with. Mindmup.com is an online mind mapping/webbing tool that lets you easily create webs without buying expensive software. Kidblog.org is a blogging platform designed for classrooms. Wikispaces.com is one of many wiki hosts that specialize in serving the education community. |
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| After Christine's workshop, my table group (Cindy, Angela, and Mary Ann) types up a review of the session. Each of the four table groups is doing the same at this time. The feedback from peers is extremely valuable when trying to decide what worked and what didn't, what ways this might be used in a class, and what pitfalls might have gone unconsidered. |
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| At the same time, Christine meets with Mark D., Beth, and Mark N. to discuss the workshop. This discussion with the organizers of the summer institute also provides valuable information when thinking about how to proceed after the workshop is over. |
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| Since this is a short day, the next thing on the agenda is our write out. Mark tells us that today's prompt is to add to the shared Google doc called "GMWP Questions About the World." For example, Stephanie adds this question: "If the earth was a head and trees were its hair, would it feel like people are lice running all over its skin?" |
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| Each day ends with the wauthors (writers/authors) chair. Mark shares the story of a friend proposing to his girlfriend in Rome on the previous day. It was a happy story to end the week on. The normal days of the institute include reading group time, writing response groups, and choice time for us to read and write whatever we need to get done at that time. It is hard to believe that there are only eight more days left. |
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Congratulations Class of 2012!
Maybe a note like this is better anyway. I have always been better able to express difficult ideas in writing than in person. If I was there today, all I would tell you are the same cliche phrases you have heard countless times by now: "Good luck in college!", "Be proud of what you have done here!", and "Thank you for being a great kid/student/person/etc.."
All of those things are true...for most of you. Not having to see you face to face I can tell you the truth. Some of you were a pain in the ass for four years.
YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. (Writing note: I love sentences like "You know who you are" because I am certain that most of you are seriously considering the possibility that you are one of the students I am talking about. I could clarify but I want you all to consider the possibility).
All of the glowing, motivational-speaker lines that I would be tempted to say to you in person would be a waste of time because many of them would be aimed at the wrong audience. I thank those of you who came to class every day, practiced the skills, and absorbed the knowledge because you challenged me to be stronger academically.
Those of you, however, who challenged me in every other way need to know that I keep a list of students who have wronged me and I find a way to get even some day. Just ask the class of 2009.
I AM KIDDING. The truth is that in all but a few extreme cases you were instantly forgiven, and even in those rare times you were still eventually forgiven. I understand the reasons why school might not be a priority for you, why getting work done (at all or on time) might be difficult, and why most days you did not want to be here (and acted like you were not). The world will not care about these things, but I did.
I do need to qualify that forgiveness though; I also never forget. I never forget because it is part of my job to notice when those behaviors start to collect in a way that indicates some bigger issue that you are dealing with (something that requires intervention). I never forget because I can not help but take on some of the guilt over your failings in my class (this requires me to forgive myself too). I can do a lot, but alone I cannot do everything I wish.
So, here is my one motivational line for you; when you find your limits, accept them and forgive yourself for "failing" at that point. Failing to meet a goal alone does not mean you can never achieve the goal; it does mean you will need help. Seek help, demand help, and plead for help. If you get it and still fail, then perhaps it is time for a new goal.
I also never forget because I would then miss out on one of the greatest experiences a teacher can have: In five years when I meet one of you difficult students out in the world (or even more special, when you come back to visit Mauston High School) and I can see that you have grown to be a productive, passionate, and proud young adult that I never could have envisioned when you were just a sullen, teenage pain in the ass.
Okay, one cheesy motivational line to end this with: I hope for all of you to succeed; I also hope you all have the ability to recognize success when you experience it.
Congratulations class of 2012!
Saturday, August 27, 2005
“I’m On My Own Now”: Causes of Apathy, Its Affect on Learning, and Ways to Counteract It
My father often speaks about the one-room school he attended. Dad
took me to where the Stafford School once stood; now just the stairs
remain. I could picture the building sitting at its odd angle from the
road on the flat top of a rise. The trees and undergrowth disappeared
and the white schoolhouse came to life; children were playing red rover
and relaxing in the grass, enjoying their break from the reader and
slate.
Sitting on those abandoned stairs Dad told me about inkwells, and the old recess bell. The boys in the school had to cut wood and keep the fire going in winter. The students walked to school or enjoyed the luxury of a horse drawn "bus." Spring "vacation" was the time for planting; when they were done in the fields, while the seeds were sprouting and needed little attention, they would finish out school year for the summer. Not that many years ago but it seems like another world when I compare it to school as I knew it at the K-12 level.
"Big, better, best" is the mentality that governed the world and influenced schools during the mid-1980 through the 1990’s. We always knew that we were supposed to be competing as though our lives depended on it. The tests we took seemed to be a big part of this competition. Everyone in my generation has filled in enough little circles and ovals for ten lifetimes. I can’t say I ever understood what we were supposed to be working so hard for or what those tests really meant. When I scored a 12.5 grade equivalency did that mean that I should already be done with school? There was possibly a mention of the Japanese and occasionally we were informed of the Chinese doppelganger who was preparing to come to the United States to take our rightful place in the world.
So when Dad talked about school as a place where you weren’t constantly on the offense in some imaginary war, I was intrigued. Dad explained how the older children helped the younger children. Yes, Johnny was a little "slow" but they all pitched in to help him understand. My Dad’s eyes twinkled as he told the stories, a few happy memories from an otherwise difficult and hard childhood. I could only imagine being able to work with my classmates in an environment that was anything other than competitive.
Teaching at the high school level, there is no way to avoid the consequences of this misguided practice. Students enter my classroom having been thoroughly measured, weighed, and labeled. The "C" student expects to get an average grade and he resents having to work very hard for it; oddly enough the "A" student has the same attitude. The "F" student has already decided that he is a "loser for life." When he does show up you have no idea what to do with him.
At some point, students quit competing. This is where the competition, reward, punishment system breaks down. They no longer run the race; it takes less effort to just let the long established order stand. The kids take to heart the messages about individuality that are so common today. However, they see a prescribed intellectual level as part of that individuality. "I’m just stupid. Why should I try?" "I’m a straight A student. Don’t ruin my record with a B!"
We might call this particular phenomenon "apathy." Some might add this to the list of examples of "irresponsible" behavior that today’s adolescents demonstrate. The children we are talking about are apathetic about the world and do not take responsibility for their role in the world; this expectation of mediocrity hurts students at all levels. Undeserved contentment has been incorporated into the collective self-concept (to adapt a term from David Sousa). Wiggins and McTighe summarize the problem well: "many students come to school somewhat unwilling (and not expecting) to work very hard" (118). The causes and effects of this attitude are just as important to be aware of as the possible solutions. Like many of the problems the world faces today, there is no single cause, effect, or solution.
A complete list of all of the causes of student apathy would be impossible to compile. It is possible, however, to briefly explore some of the most relevant and most immediate of those causes. It is also important to remember that we exist in a hierarchical world. We are world citizens, citizens of a country, members of a community, part of a family unit, and individuals; we are either trying to balance our obligations to these various groups or being influence by them consciously or unconsciously. American culture, for example is a powerful influence on all of our lives. Contemporary American culture is affected by many different inputs. As I present these issues and concerns remember that these are all generalizations; there are many parents, schools, and students that do not, thankfully, fit into these descriptions. However, for me, I need to have some understanding of where these problems start from before I can make the connections between appropriate actions and desired outcomes. One of the most troubling and pervasive concerns is that of the psychological health of our society.
Fear is now used by many facets of our culture. News media keeps us afraid of everything from killer bees to the ever-present anonymous, black, male, perpetrator (Bowling…). The current administration keeps us in a state of constant paranoia because of the "potential" for terrorist attacks; changes in the color-coded terror alert levels are almost daily occurrences. Popular media feeds us a constant diet of "beauty" as they define it; so, we are afraid that we will not measure up and therefore lose out. Large corporations convince us that we need the latest fashion, the latest prescription, and the latest gadget or we will fall behind the rest of the pack.
Students experience these same pressures and are ultimately more vulnerable to them. David Sousa gives us the key to understanding the impact this has: "before students will turn their attention to cognitive learning (the curriculum), they must feel physically safe and emotionally secure" (43). Sousa is not making a generalization based on observation or hyperbole. Studies of the brain’s ability to process data under various circumstances have proven that emotionally or physically stressful situations greatly reduce the brain’s ability to learn. Anyone even paying half attention to the media would find it difficult to have a mind functioning at its best. Sousa also points out (citing a study by Sowell, et al.) that students are particularly affected by emotional states because they do not have a fully developed ability to regulate emotion (20). This emotional interference with cognitive function is not a phenomenon limited to students.
Teachers come to school after watching the same morning news. For example, anyone who witnessed the media’s handling of the attack at Columbine High School certainly has been deeply and permanently affected. In the narration of his documentary Michael Moore reminds us of this day and also touches on the emotions teenagers deal with on a daily basis. "I guess we’ll never know why they did it. But one thing adults should never forget, it still sucks being a teenager and it really sucks going to school" (Bowling…). Many teachers’ attitudes about school after that day quickly became just as grim. An unidentified school official sums up that attitude best, "There’re little time bombs out there ticking, waiting to go off, and there are many of them in every community" (Bowling…). Certainly, today we have gotten past some of these feelings. But we will never get rid of them entirely. This event and the way the media handled it has reinforced the us-versus-them (teachers versus students) mentality that probably goes back to when the first school bell rang. One of the earliest expressions of this idea in the popular media was the film Blackboard Jungle (1955).
Maintaining a state of constant fear is possible cause of the American tendency to quantify quality of life and measure success externally. During and after times of extreme stress it is not uncommon for people to focus on acquiring both the necessities and comforts of life; think about the food hoarding that occurred after World War II. Now these attitudes and actions are pervasive and constant. Americans "pursue human salvation through science and technology. We find redemption through consumerism, through things that are wondrous, useful, ingenious, and economically profitable, but which do nothing to satisfy the needs of the inner life" (Lear). Not only is it taboo in many settings to discuss our feelings, emotions, beliefs, and spirit life, it is also very difficult to get students to participate in such discussions.
I
have a deep concern about an unhealthy reticence—in our culture
generally, and in education in particular—to discuss what may be our
most distinctive trait—our mysterious inner life, and the fertile,
invisible realm that is the wellspring for the creativity and morality
of our species. It is that portion of ourselves that impels us to create
art and literature, and study ethics, philosophy, and history…This is
the spiritual life of our species. (Lear)
So many students come to school with very few tools for managing and understanding their emotions, fears, and beliefs. Teachers can be part of the solution.
Human
problems, especially those of children and adolescents, are best dealt
with through intense and continuous one-on-one communication and through
healthy interactions that enable adults to become positive role models
and guides. (Martin-Kniep 7)
The second aspect of American culture that causes increased concerns for schools is a disvaluing of discipline and dedication. "Much of American society glamorizes easy success and the fast life. This cultural fashion has reached such a dangerous point that American children readily challenge authority and disdain intellectual development and achievement" (Hwang 486). Many students have little ability to look into the future, see a goal, and plan appropriate steps for getting there. If the reward is not immediate, it is not real. Far from simply repeating a complaint all too often stated, bringing up this behavior ties together the above ideas. If we are afraid there won’t be a tomorrow, why should we plan for it? Moreover, the lack of ability and opportunity to communicate with adults about feelings and beliefs tells students that those aspects of their person are unimportant.
Lack of discipline and emotional pressure also relate to students’ unrealistic attitudes about cheating. Howard Gardner found that 75% of students admitted to cheating at least once on a test while 84% agree that cheating harms a person’s character (Bracey 412). The obvious question then is if they believe it to be harmful why do they do it? Some of this discrepancy might be explained by the responses Gardner received when he interviewed students for this study on cheating. He heard many of them say, "When I get to be famous, I’ll set a wonderful moral example. But for now reality precludes that" (Bracey 412). I have seen many students buy into this "fame" myth. The culture around students shows them that the only people who have any impact on the world are people who have gained a certain amount of fame. A gruesome example of this is the death of Princess Diana. The whole world wept and rightfully so; she was a very good person who tried to do many good things. However, we barely even pause when a "normal" person is killed in a drunk driving incident. Death and effort only count when they are backed by fame.
Current brain research provides another possible explanation for our current obsession with short term rewards. Sousa discusses the brain’s preexisting preference for novelty. The brain filters information by its uniqueness and potential impact on the person. In everyday life this affects everything from learning styles to safely driving a car. This pursuit of unique and memorable experiences can also be a detriment:
Some
adolescents who perceive little novelty in their environment may turn
to mind-altering drugs, such as ecstasy and amphetamines for
stimulation. This drug dependence can further enhance the brain’s demand
for novelty to the point that it becomes unbalanced and resorts to
extremes-oriented behavior. (Sousa 29 citing Laviola et al.)
All of these factors become condensed when we focus on families and schools. Family is the first group most people belong to. These early experiences with attitudes, emotions, and learning affect children for a lifetime. Today we have a wonderfully diverse collection of family types and constructions. Many point to this diversity as a source of problems. However, I don’t believe that anyone type of family structure holds any intrinsic superiority. Both the benefits and problems of the family are universal.
One of the major issues with families today is that the adults in the family who traditionally supported children in their growth and learning no longer take as active of a role. Educational systems were founded on the belief that "parents are an extension of the school and vice versa. This is not a valid assumption in modern day America." (Hwang 487). For various reasons parents no longer have the same impact on their children’s lives. "Parents are so busy divorcing, working ,feeding their own addictions, and searching for personal fulfillment that there is no time left to make children’s education priority" (Hwang 487). This lack of support for children is particularly troubling when it is taken to the extreme. After giving an assignment to a college prep writing class, I had an 11th grade student come to me and say, "Mr. Lentz I don’t know when I’ll get this assignment done. I had to move out of my mom’s home because her new boyfriend wouldn’t leave me alone. Mom chose him over me. I’m on my own now." I almost called it quits right there; I said to myself, "That’s it, no more teaching; I can’t afford the emotional turmoil." I couldn’t fathom how I could compete with such a trying emotional situation. I am happy to say that I didn’t give up. And that particular student wound up growing in her writing ability. I encouraged the students to write about their real lives. She took that opportunity. But not all students take those opportunities to grow and heal when presented.
When things go wrong and a student fails we sometimes see another particularly troubling aspect of the modern family. Parents who have not taken responsibility or given their children the guidance to be responsible look for someone to blame. Yong Hwan summarizes the situation very well; he says that American parents:
have
invented a very peculiar form of logic in dealing with low student
achievement. If a child fails, society is at fault, poverty is at fault,
teachers are at fault. Everybody responsible except the student who
failed and parents themselves who failed to motivate the learner. It is
the age of the all purpose victim: the individual or group whose plight,
condition or even academic achievement is not a matter that needs to be
solved by individual effort but constitutes a social problem in itself.
(488)
The structure and methods in many schools and classrooms certainly affect students in a negative way as well. First and foremost is the continued and increasing focus on norm referenced testing. It is easy to see that "the school’s evaluation system is more brutal than the real world. Few in the work force are subjected to the humiliation of norm-referenced evaluation" (Raffini 54). One of the problems with this system is that it expects everyone to fit within a particular pattern of expected ability. It makes no difference how skilled or knowledgeable a particular student is. "We often assume that only the dull, lazy, or unambitious are below average, in reality, it’s a fixed percentage of the population – regardless of achievement" (Raffini 53). This test produces statistical data that reports on a very narrow spectrum of ability and is then used to determine the experience all students have with school. Students "quickly discover that they must compete with each other for a limited number of rewards. During this competition, the system teaches students that effort is less important than ability" (Raffini 54). This relates back to my experience of school, competition for limited rewards with no real reason given for the competition.
The culture that this form of competition creates in schools is counter to all of the things we know about how the brain works best. As noted earlier, Sousa cautions that long-term memory is dependent on stress level. James Raffini points out that many students might simply be unwilling to accept mediocrity (53). Self protection and preservation are important traits. Richard Stiggins summarizes how this mechanism works:
Psychologists who study
motivation tell us that students can fall into a classification that
they call "failure acceptors" (Covington, 1992). Typically, these
students have experienced sufficient failure in the classroom to infer
either that they are too dumb to get it or that getting it is just not
worth the effort. They took the risk of trying to learn early in their
academic lives, did not succeed, were punished for it, lost confidence,
and do not want to risk such pain again. (210)
I had a student taking an after school credit recovery class because she had failed an English class. It was evident to me that she was motivated, skilled, determined, and creative. I couldn’t fathom why she hadn’t passed the class she had been in (which is taught by one of the best teachers I know). Through conversations with this student I found out that her grade was an F for that class because she could not complete journal entries. Some encounter with that activity in her past prevented her from finishing the task.
Another common practice in schools that causes problems for students is the insistence upon rote learning. "When faced with constant repetition, we become bored—and we become unmotivated" (Silver 45). We all know this to be true. Yet, when we are in front of the class it is difficult to keep from exposing students to the same torturous situations we experienced as students. "Schoolwork is often needlessly boring, especially when composed of mind-numbing skill worksheets or excessive passive listening – all of it divorced from interesting problems and realistic performance challenges" (Wiggins 119). Silver, Wiggins, Sousa and many others all recognize the impact of this type of learning. Gardner even suggests that boring learning activities and pressure to succeed are the primary causes of cheating (Bracey 412). If along the way I hadn’t had a teacher show me that English was something other than grammar and spelling, I would never have become an English teacher. I wouldn’t have been interested enough or believed that I had the skills to do the job.
All of these problems suggest some very direct solutions. My methods, attitudes, and practices can be altered in order to reach more students. One of the first changes I can work toward is becoming aware of each student as a whole person. I have always been aware of the power of this concept. I did not, however, have a real grasp of how to conceptualize the impact of this on my classroom. Students thrive when they are under self imposed desires to succeed (good stress, a.k.a. "level of concern") (Sousa 67). Especially when they are working on something that challenges them at an appropriate level. Here I can look to popular media for some ideas. Video games are addictive and allow for a learning experience because they challenge players at their individual ability level. "Cognitive psychologists call this the ‘regime of competence’ principle…As players progress, puzzles become more complex, enemies swifter and more numerous, underlying patterns more subtle" (Johnson 40). This is an idea that was repeated in many different texts. Wiggins and McTighe write about "designing learning that confronts students with the limits of their ideas and the promise of new ones" (Wiggins 175). If you can challenge students within a familiar framework and in close proximity to their existing abilities, you increase the likelihood of student learning. In the classroom this concept can be employed many ways. One example would be giving the students writing assignments that are within in their current comfort level and then continuously pushing them to take one step at a time closer to utilizing all of the concepts of good writing. If the students are allowed to write about topics that they really care about, the likelihood of interest and success is increased as well.
Much of what I have been learning this summer about assessment and instruction relates to this concept as well. "By reinforcing a student’s understanding of what she knows and can do, it can motivate her to change and to replace vague hope with realistic goal setting" (Schmitz 21). But this is about more than simply looking at skill level. Students are also predisposed to various ways of exploring the world and various ways of being part of the world.
Teachers
need to create a classroom environment that allows students to process
information the way they do in the world outside of school. Outside
school, children tend to rely on their natural ways of learning. In
school, however, we often ask students to process in only one or two
ways. (Silver 47)
A particularly important aspect of student ability is the rate at which students process information. Sousa discusses this problem and suggests a simple solution; set curricular priorities in order to allow students to have the necessary time to achieve the upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (262). Certainly this creates problems when you are required cover certain material over the course of a class; the reality is (as several of the resources note), however, that covering the material does not mean learning is occurring. We need to decide if covering all of the material or promoting true learning (complex understanding that allows transfer) is more important. One of the techniques I can use is essential questions. As noted in several texts this gives the teachers and students a way to prioritize and focus instruction.
The unrealistic goal of plowing through the text book in the class time allowed negatively affects the amount of effort students are willing to put into learning. Several of the texts point out that instead of focusing on text book ordered learning it is beneficial to have a standard that relates to the subject as it is used in the professional world. "Only when grades are based on standards of absolute performance of clearly stated objectives, and differences in student ability are viewed primarily as differences in the amount of time students require to master these objectives, will it be possible for effort to result in success" (Raffini 55). This of course touches on another major area of improvement I can make. Basing my judgments of performance on clearly articulated and public criteria drawn from standards is a major way I can improve student motivation, demonstrate accountability, and provide a more focused and effective curriculum (noted in several resources).
One final area for me to address as a teacher is emotional impact. I’ve noted how Sousa describes the impact of emotions on learning. He indicates that "teachers should strive to bond positive feelings to new learnings so that students feel competent and can enjoy the process" (Sousa 145). At this point I feel that many of my lessons were not negative in the emotional realm. Mostly they were neutral. This created no benefit for the students and it made the daily classroom experience rather dull as well. I care about what I’m doing so it should be well within reason to invest some emotional energy into it. Emphasizing the positive aspects of a performance or product, and presenting improvement suggestions with a "soft" touch and with a focus on real world reasons for the suggestion should be a priority.
I have always tried to encourage student interest, motivation, and growth. I believed that this was the best source for positive feelings about a class. Of course, this was often unsuccessful. I now understand that students approach an activity and quickly decide if it is something they should be concerned about. "Self-motivation on the part of students can be expected only if students have opportunities to focus on topics and activities that interest them" (Silver 45). Wiggins and McTighe repeat the sentiment more succinctly. The "work must be purposeful from the student’s point of view" (Wiggins 117). The goal of emotional impact, student interest, and real-life relevance can be addressed in one concept, the human spirit. "Preparing the next generation for the world we live in means teaching it to look deeper into itself, to that place where humans, from the beginning of time, have shared the same sense of awe and wonder as they groped for meaning" (Lear). Too often we run rampant with our ability to analyze. We need to maintain our ability (and recognize the necessity) of stepping back and taking a look at the whole student. A very important part of that "whole" cannot be easily separated out from the whole. Classroom activities should provide outlets for spiritual/creative/emotional ideas and opportunities for exploration of this realm.
Of course there are many other changes I want to make. For example, I want to work on incorporating more appropriate humor (Sousa 63). In general, I want to improve my attitudes about school and students. In the past, the individual failures became a greater focus than multiple successes. There is potential in all students. I can do many things to encourage that potential and give students a reason to care. But I cannot make it happen for them. I can and should show them the possibility of success, provide the tools, give encouragement, and then let them decide for themselves. They need to see the wisdom of making good choices because they will never completely believe it if they only have my word to go on. If I have done my best to help and encourage the students I encounter, I should be able to accept that many students will not learn about the hardships I am warning them about unless they experience them for themselves. I found a helpful little list of reminders that I plan to hold onto for a long time. The following presents nine ways to deal with unresponsive students. It was printed in a Salt Lake City School District newsletter:
1. Avoid
taking it personally. The problem has to do with the student, not you.
2. Avoid getting angry. It’s sad when a student doesn’t care. The student needs kindness and understanding, not hostility.
3. Try to determine if the indifference is only school-related. Perhaps there are problems outside of school.
4. Tell the student you’re not going to give up on her--even if she has given up on herself. Refuse to accept the student’s rejection of your efforts.
5. Avoid embarrassing the student. When he doesn’t respond to a question, provide some answers to choose from.
6. Give the student lots of opportunities for involvement.
7. Search for areas and activities that will interest her.
8. Minimize the chances for failure. Shorten assignments. Make the goal of each assignment clearer and more immediately achievable.
9. Notice and reward changes in behavior.
Compared to the world my father lived in with the one-room schoolhouse, students today live in a very artificial world. "Reality" is something a child is rarely exposed to until he is on his own. Like the school building that is no longer there, kids are shown the steps but they never see the purpose for climbing them. My job is to show them, tell them, and let them create their own world on top of those stairs.
Bowling for Columbine, Special Edition. DVD. Dir. Michael Moore. documentary. United Artists and Alliance Atlantis, 2002.
Bracey, Gerald W. "A Nation of Cheats." Phi Delta Kappan. Jan. 2005: 412-413. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 31 July 2005. http://www.ebscohost.com.
Hwang, Yong G. "Student Apathy, Lack of Self-Responsibility and False Self-Esteem are Failing American Schools." Education 115.4 (1995): 484-490. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 31 July 2005..
Johnson, Steven. "Your Brain on Video Games: Could They Actually be Good for You?" Discover 26.7 (2005): 38-43.
Lear, Norman. "Education for the Human Spirit." Education Digest March 56.7 (1991): 33-35. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 26 July 2005..
Martin-Kniep, Aiselle O. Becoming a Better Teacher: Eight Innovations That Work. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000.
"Nine Responses to Unresponsive Students." Curriculum Review 40.3 (2000): 6. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 31 July 2005..
Raffini, James P. "Student Apathy: A Motivational Dilemma." Educational Leadership 44.1 (1986): 53-55. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 31 July 2005..
Schmitz, Jo Ann ed. and Alverno College Faculty. Student Assessment-as-Learning at Alverno College. Milwaukee: Alverno College, 1994.
Silver, Harvey F., Richard W. Strong, Matthew J. Perini. So Each May Learn: Integrating Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000.
Sousa, David A. How the Brain Learns, Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2001.
Stiggins, Richard J. Student-Involved Assessment FOR Learning. Columbus, Ohio: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2005.
Wiggins, Grant and McTighe, Jay. Understanding by Design. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall, 1998.
Writing Study Group of the NCTE of the Executive Committee. "NCTE Beliefs About the Teaching of Writing." Nov. 2004. National Council of Teachers of English. 8 July 2005.
Brown, Waln K. "Turning Your Life Around: Tips From an Ex-Juvenile Delinquent." Reclaiming Children and Youth 13.4 (2005): 218-223. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 8 July 2005..
Hassel, Holly and Lourey, Jessica. "The Dea(r)th of Student Responsibility." College Teaching 53.1 (2005): 2-12. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 8 July 2005. http://www.ebscohost.com.
The National Commission on Writing. Writing: A Powerful Message From State Government. College Board, 2005.
Schmitz, Jo Ann ed. and Alverno College Faculty. Student Assessment-as-Learning at Alverno College. Milwaukee: Alverno College, 1994.
Shepard, Lorrie A. "The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture." Educational Researcher 29.7 (2000): 4-14.
Townsend, Jane S. "Silent Voices: What Happens to Quiet Students During Classroom Discussions?" English Journal Feb. 1998: 72-80.
Wolf, Dennie, Janet Bixby, John Glenn III, Howard Gardner. "Chapter 2: To Use Their Minds Well: Investigation New Forms of Student Assessment." Review of Research in Education, 17. Ed. Gerald Grant. Washington, DC: The American Educational Research Association, 1991. 31-74.
Writing Study Group of the NCTE of the Executive Committee. "NCTE Beliefs About the Teaching of Writing." Nov. 2004. National Council of Teachers of English. 8 July 2005 http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/category/write/118876.htm.
Sitting on those abandoned stairs Dad told me about inkwells, and the old recess bell. The boys in the school had to cut wood and keep the fire going in winter. The students walked to school or enjoyed the luxury of a horse drawn "bus." Spring "vacation" was the time for planting; when they were done in the fields, while the seeds were sprouting and needed little attention, they would finish out school year for the summer. Not that many years ago but it seems like another world when I compare it to school as I knew it at the K-12 level.
"Big, better, best" is the mentality that governed the world and influenced schools during the mid-1980 through the 1990’s. We always knew that we were supposed to be competing as though our lives depended on it. The tests we took seemed to be a big part of this competition. Everyone in my generation has filled in enough little circles and ovals for ten lifetimes. I can’t say I ever understood what we were supposed to be working so hard for or what those tests really meant. When I scored a 12.5 grade equivalency did that mean that I should already be done with school? There was possibly a mention of the Japanese and occasionally we were informed of the Chinese doppelganger who was preparing to come to the United States to take our rightful place in the world.
So when Dad talked about school as a place where you weren’t constantly on the offense in some imaginary war, I was intrigued. Dad explained how the older children helped the younger children. Yes, Johnny was a little "slow" but they all pitched in to help him understand. My Dad’s eyes twinkled as he told the stories, a few happy memories from an otherwise difficult and hard childhood. I could only imagine being able to work with my classmates in an environment that was anything other than competitive.
Teaching at the high school level, there is no way to avoid the consequences of this misguided practice. Students enter my classroom having been thoroughly measured, weighed, and labeled. The "C" student expects to get an average grade and he resents having to work very hard for it; oddly enough the "A" student has the same attitude. The "F" student has already decided that he is a "loser for life." When he does show up you have no idea what to do with him.
At some point, students quit competing. This is where the competition, reward, punishment system breaks down. They no longer run the race; it takes less effort to just let the long established order stand. The kids take to heart the messages about individuality that are so common today. However, they see a prescribed intellectual level as part of that individuality. "I’m just stupid. Why should I try?" "I’m a straight A student. Don’t ruin my record with a B!"
We might call this particular phenomenon "apathy." Some might add this to the list of examples of "irresponsible" behavior that today’s adolescents demonstrate. The children we are talking about are apathetic about the world and do not take responsibility for their role in the world; this expectation of mediocrity hurts students at all levels. Undeserved contentment has been incorporated into the collective self-concept (to adapt a term from David Sousa). Wiggins and McTighe summarize the problem well: "many students come to school somewhat unwilling (and not expecting) to work very hard" (118). The causes and effects of this attitude are just as important to be aware of as the possible solutions. Like many of the problems the world faces today, there is no single cause, effect, or solution.
A complete list of all of the causes of student apathy would be impossible to compile. It is possible, however, to briefly explore some of the most relevant and most immediate of those causes. It is also important to remember that we exist in a hierarchical world. We are world citizens, citizens of a country, members of a community, part of a family unit, and individuals; we are either trying to balance our obligations to these various groups or being influence by them consciously or unconsciously. American culture, for example is a powerful influence on all of our lives. Contemporary American culture is affected by many different inputs. As I present these issues and concerns remember that these are all generalizations; there are many parents, schools, and students that do not, thankfully, fit into these descriptions. However, for me, I need to have some understanding of where these problems start from before I can make the connections between appropriate actions and desired outcomes. One of the most troubling and pervasive concerns is that of the psychological health of our society.
Fear is now used by many facets of our culture. News media keeps us afraid of everything from killer bees to the ever-present anonymous, black, male, perpetrator (Bowling…). The current administration keeps us in a state of constant paranoia because of the "potential" for terrorist attacks; changes in the color-coded terror alert levels are almost daily occurrences. Popular media feeds us a constant diet of "beauty" as they define it; so, we are afraid that we will not measure up and therefore lose out. Large corporations convince us that we need the latest fashion, the latest prescription, and the latest gadget or we will fall behind the rest of the pack.
Students experience these same pressures and are ultimately more vulnerable to them. David Sousa gives us the key to understanding the impact this has: "before students will turn their attention to cognitive learning (the curriculum), they must feel physically safe and emotionally secure" (43). Sousa is not making a generalization based on observation or hyperbole. Studies of the brain’s ability to process data under various circumstances have proven that emotionally or physically stressful situations greatly reduce the brain’s ability to learn. Anyone even paying half attention to the media would find it difficult to have a mind functioning at its best. Sousa also points out (citing a study by Sowell, et al.) that students are particularly affected by emotional states because they do not have a fully developed ability to regulate emotion (20). This emotional interference with cognitive function is not a phenomenon limited to students.
Teachers come to school after watching the same morning news. For example, anyone who witnessed the media’s handling of the attack at Columbine High School certainly has been deeply and permanently affected. In the narration of his documentary Michael Moore reminds us of this day and also touches on the emotions teenagers deal with on a daily basis. "I guess we’ll never know why they did it. But one thing adults should never forget, it still sucks being a teenager and it really sucks going to school" (Bowling…). Many teachers’ attitudes about school after that day quickly became just as grim. An unidentified school official sums up that attitude best, "There’re little time bombs out there ticking, waiting to go off, and there are many of them in every community" (Bowling…). Certainly, today we have gotten past some of these feelings. But we will never get rid of them entirely. This event and the way the media handled it has reinforced the us-versus-them (teachers versus students) mentality that probably goes back to when the first school bell rang. One of the earliest expressions of this idea in the popular media was the film Blackboard Jungle (1955).
Maintaining a state of constant fear is possible cause of the American tendency to quantify quality of life and measure success externally. During and after times of extreme stress it is not uncommon for people to focus on acquiring both the necessities and comforts of life; think about the food hoarding that occurred after World War II. Now these attitudes and actions are pervasive and constant. Americans "pursue human salvation through science and technology. We find redemption through consumerism, through things that are wondrous, useful, ingenious, and economically profitable, but which do nothing to satisfy the needs of the inner life" (Lear). Not only is it taboo in many settings to discuss our feelings, emotions, beliefs, and spirit life, it is also very difficult to get students to participate in such discussions.
So many students come to school with very few tools for managing and understanding their emotions, fears, and beliefs. Teachers can be part of the solution.
The second aspect of American culture that causes increased concerns for schools is a disvaluing of discipline and dedication. "Much of American society glamorizes easy success and the fast life. This cultural fashion has reached such a dangerous point that American children readily challenge authority and disdain intellectual development and achievement" (Hwang 486). Many students have little ability to look into the future, see a goal, and plan appropriate steps for getting there. If the reward is not immediate, it is not real. Far from simply repeating a complaint all too often stated, bringing up this behavior ties together the above ideas. If we are afraid there won’t be a tomorrow, why should we plan for it? Moreover, the lack of ability and opportunity to communicate with adults about feelings and beliefs tells students that those aspects of their person are unimportant.
Lack of discipline and emotional pressure also relate to students’ unrealistic attitudes about cheating. Howard Gardner found that 75% of students admitted to cheating at least once on a test while 84% agree that cheating harms a person’s character (Bracey 412). The obvious question then is if they believe it to be harmful why do they do it? Some of this discrepancy might be explained by the responses Gardner received when he interviewed students for this study on cheating. He heard many of them say, "When I get to be famous, I’ll set a wonderful moral example. But for now reality precludes that" (Bracey 412). I have seen many students buy into this "fame" myth. The culture around students shows them that the only people who have any impact on the world are people who have gained a certain amount of fame. A gruesome example of this is the death of Princess Diana. The whole world wept and rightfully so; she was a very good person who tried to do many good things. However, we barely even pause when a "normal" person is killed in a drunk driving incident. Death and effort only count when they are backed by fame.
Current brain research provides another possible explanation for our current obsession with short term rewards. Sousa discusses the brain’s preexisting preference for novelty. The brain filters information by its uniqueness and potential impact on the person. In everyday life this affects everything from learning styles to safely driving a car. This pursuit of unique and memorable experiences can also be a detriment:
All of these factors become condensed when we focus on families and schools. Family is the first group most people belong to. These early experiences with attitudes, emotions, and learning affect children for a lifetime. Today we have a wonderfully diverse collection of family types and constructions. Many point to this diversity as a source of problems. However, I don’t believe that anyone type of family structure holds any intrinsic superiority. Both the benefits and problems of the family are universal.
One of the major issues with families today is that the adults in the family who traditionally supported children in their growth and learning no longer take as active of a role. Educational systems were founded on the belief that "parents are an extension of the school and vice versa. This is not a valid assumption in modern day America." (Hwang 487). For various reasons parents no longer have the same impact on their children’s lives. "Parents are so busy divorcing, working ,feeding their own addictions, and searching for personal fulfillment that there is no time left to make children’s education priority" (Hwang 487). This lack of support for children is particularly troubling when it is taken to the extreme. After giving an assignment to a college prep writing class, I had an 11th grade student come to me and say, "Mr. Lentz I don’t know when I’ll get this assignment done. I had to move out of my mom’s home because her new boyfriend wouldn’t leave me alone. Mom chose him over me. I’m on my own now." I almost called it quits right there; I said to myself, "That’s it, no more teaching; I can’t afford the emotional turmoil." I couldn’t fathom how I could compete with such a trying emotional situation. I am happy to say that I didn’t give up. And that particular student wound up growing in her writing ability. I encouraged the students to write about their real lives. She took that opportunity. But not all students take those opportunities to grow and heal when presented.
When things go wrong and a student fails we sometimes see another particularly troubling aspect of the modern family. Parents who have not taken responsibility or given their children the guidance to be responsible look for someone to blame. Yong Hwan summarizes the situation very well; he says that American parents:
The structure and methods in many schools and classrooms certainly affect students in a negative way as well. First and foremost is the continued and increasing focus on norm referenced testing. It is easy to see that "the school’s evaluation system is more brutal than the real world. Few in the work force are subjected to the humiliation of norm-referenced evaluation" (Raffini 54). One of the problems with this system is that it expects everyone to fit within a particular pattern of expected ability. It makes no difference how skilled or knowledgeable a particular student is. "We often assume that only the dull, lazy, or unambitious are below average, in reality, it’s a fixed percentage of the population – regardless of achievement" (Raffini 53). This test produces statistical data that reports on a very narrow spectrum of ability and is then used to determine the experience all students have with school. Students "quickly discover that they must compete with each other for a limited number of rewards. During this competition, the system teaches students that effort is less important than ability" (Raffini 54). This relates back to my experience of school, competition for limited rewards with no real reason given for the competition.
The culture that this form of competition creates in schools is counter to all of the things we know about how the brain works best. As noted earlier, Sousa cautions that long-term memory is dependent on stress level. James Raffini points out that many students might simply be unwilling to accept mediocrity (53). Self protection and preservation are important traits. Richard Stiggins summarizes how this mechanism works:
I had a student taking an after school credit recovery class because she had failed an English class. It was evident to me that she was motivated, skilled, determined, and creative. I couldn’t fathom why she hadn’t passed the class she had been in (which is taught by one of the best teachers I know). Through conversations with this student I found out that her grade was an F for that class because she could not complete journal entries. Some encounter with that activity in her past prevented her from finishing the task.
Another common practice in schools that causes problems for students is the insistence upon rote learning. "When faced with constant repetition, we become bored—and we become unmotivated" (Silver 45). We all know this to be true. Yet, when we are in front of the class it is difficult to keep from exposing students to the same torturous situations we experienced as students. "Schoolwork is often needlessly boring, especially when composed of mind-numbing skill worksheets or excessive passive listening – all of it divorced from interesting problems and realistic performance challenges" (Wiggins 119). Silver, Wiggins, Sousa and many others all recognize the impact of this type of learning. Gardner even suggests that boring learning activities and pressure to succeed are the primary causes of cheating (Bracey 412). If along the way I hadn’t had a teacher show me that English was something other than grammar and spelling, I would never have become an English teacher. I wouldn’t have been interested enough or believed that I had the skills to do the job.
All of these problems suggest some very direct solutions. My methods, attitudes, and practices can be altered in order to reach more students. One of the first changes I can work toward is becoming aware of each student as a whole person. I have always been aware of the power of this concept. I did not, however, have a real grasp of how to conceptualize the impact of this on my classroom. Students thrive when they are under self imposed desires to succeed (good stress, a.k.a. "level of concern") (Sousa 67). Especially when they are working on something that challenges them at an appropriate level. Here I can look to popular media for some ideas. Video games are addictive and allow for a learning experience because they challenge players at their individual ability level. "Cognitive psychologists call this the ‘regime of competence’ principle…As players progress, puzzles become more complex, enemies swifter and more numerous, underlying patterns more subtle" (Johnson 40). This is an idea that was repeated in many different texts. Wiggins and McTighe write about "designing learning that confronts students with the limits of their ideas and the promise of new ones" (Wiggins 175). If you can challenge students within a familiar framework and in close proximity to their existing abilities, you increase the likelihood of student learning. In the classroom this concept can be employed many ways. One example would be giving the students writing assignments that are within in their current comfort level and then continuously pushing them to take one step at a time closer to utilizing all of the concepts of good writing. If the students are allowed to write about topics that they really care about, the likelihood of interest and success is increased as well.
Much of what I have been learning this summer about assessment and instruction relates to this concept as well. "By reinforcing a student’s understanding of what she knows and can do, it can motivate her to change and to replace vague hope with realistic goal setting" (Schmitz 21). But this is about more than simply looking at skill level. Students are also predisposed to various ways of exploring the world and various ways of being part of the world.
A particularly important aspect of student ability is the rate at which students process information. Sousa discusses this problem and suggests a simple solution; set curricular priorities in order to allow students to have the necessary time to achieve the upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (262). Certainly this creates problems when you are required cover certain material over the course of a class; the reality is (as several of the resources note), however, that covering the material does not mean learning is occurring. We need to decide if covering all of the material or promoting true learning (complex understanding that allows transfer) is more important. One of the techniques I can use is essential questions. As noted in several texts this gives the teachers and students a way to prioritize and focus instruction.
The unrealistic goal of plowing through the text book in the class time allowed negatively affects the amount of effort students are willing to put into learning. Several of the texts point out that instead of focusing on text book ordered learning it is beneficial to have a standard that relates to the subject as it is used in the professional world. "Only when grades are based on standards of absolute performance of clearly stated objectives, and differences in student ability are viewed primarily as differences in the amount of time students require to master these objectives, will it be possible for effort to result in success" (Raffini 55). This of course touches on another major area of improvement I can make. Basing my judgments of performance on clearly articulated and public criteria drawn from standards is a major way I can improve student motivation, demonstrate accountability, and provide a more focused and effective curriculum (noted in several resources).
One final area for me to address as a teacher is emotional impact. I’ve noted how Sousa describes the impact of emotions on learning. He indicates that "teachers should strive to bond positive feelings to new learnings so that students feel competent and can enjoy the process" (Sousa 145). At this point I feel that many of my lessons were not negative in the emotional realm. Mostly they were neutral. This created no benefit for the students and it made the daily classroom experience rather dull as well. I care about what I’m doing so it should be well within reason to invest some emotional energy into it. Emphasizing the positive aspects of a performance or product, and presenting improvement suggestions with a "soft" touch and with a focus on real world reasons for the suggestion should be a priority.
I have always tried to encourage student interest, motivation, and growth. I believed that this was the best source for positive feelings about a class. Of course, this was often unsuccessful. I now understand that students approach an activity and quickly decide if it is something they should be concerned about. "Self-motivation on the part of students can be expected only if students have opportunities to focus on topics and activities that interest them" (Silver 45). Wiggins and McTighe repeat the sentiment more succinctly. The "work must be purposeful from the student’s point of view" (Wiggins 117). The goal of emotional impact, student interest, and real-life relevance can be addressed in one concept, the human spirit. "Preparing the next generation for the world we live in means teaching it to look deeper into itself, to that place where humans, from the beginning of time, have shared the same sense of awe and wonder as they groped for meaning" (Lear). Too often we run rampant with our ability to analyze. We need to maintain our ability (and recognize the necessity) of stepping back and taking a look at the whole student. A very important part of that "whole" cannot be easily separated out from the whole. Classroom activities should provide outlets for spiritual/creative/emotional ideas and opportunities for exploration of this realm.
Of course there are many other changes I want to make. For example, I want to work on incorporating more appropriate humor (Sousa 63). In general, I want to improve my attitudes about school and students. In the past, the individual failures became a greater focus than multiple successes. There is potential in all students. I can do many things to encourage that potential and give students a reason to care. But I cannot make it happen for them. I can and should show them the possibility of success, provide the tools, give encouragement, and then let them decide for themselves. They need to see the wisdom of making good choices because they will never completely believe it if they only have my word to go on. If I have done my best to help and encourage the students I encounter, I should be able to accept that many students will not learn about the hardships I am warning them about unless they experience them for themselves. I found a helpful little list of reminders that I plan to hold onto for a long time. The following presents nine ways to deal with unresponsive students. It was printed in a Salt Lake City School District newsletter:
2. Avoid getting angry. It’s sad when a student doesn’t care. The student needs kindness and understanding, not hostility.
3. Try to determine if the indifference is only school-related. Perhaps there are problems outside of school.
4. Tell the student you’re not going to give up on her--even if she has given up on herself. Refuse to accept the student’s rejection of your efforts.
5. Avoid embarrassing the student. When he doesn’t respond to a question, provide some answers to choose from.
6. Give the student lots of opportunities for involvement.
7. Search for areas and activities that will interest her.
8. Minimize the chances for failure. Shorten assignments. Make the goal of each assignment clearer and more immediately achievable.
9. Notice and reward changes in behavior.
Compared to the world my father lived in with the one-room schoolhouse, students today live in a very artificial world. "Reality" is something a child is rarely exposed to until he is on his own. Like the school building that is no longer there, kids are shown the steps but they never see the purpose for climbing them. My job is to show them, tell them, and let them create their own world on top of those stairs.
Works Cited
Bowling for Columbine, Special Edition. DVD. Dir. Michael Moore. documentary. United Artists and Alliance Atlantis, 2002.
Bracey, Gerald W. "A Nation of Cheats." Phi Delta Kappan. Jan. 2005: 412-413. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 31 July 2005. http://www.ebscohost.com.
Hwang, Yong G. "Student Apathy, Lack of Self-Responsibility and False Self-Esteem are Failing American Schools." Education 115.4 (1995): 484-490. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 31 July 2005.
Johnson, Steven. "Your Brain on Video Games: Could They Actually be Good for You?" Discover 26.7 (2005): 38-43.
Lear, Norman. "Education for the Human Spirit." Education Digest March 56.7 (1991): 33-35. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 26 July 2005.
Martin-Kniep, Aiselle O. Becoming a Better Teacher: Eight Innovations That Work. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000.
"Nine Responses to Unresponsive Students." Curriculum Review 40.3 (2000): 6. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 31 July 2005.
Raffini, James P. "Student Apathy: A Motivational Dilemma." Educational Leadership 44.1 (1986): 53-55. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 31 July 2005.
Schmitz, Jo Ann ed. and Alverno College Faculty. Student Assessment-as-Learning at Alverno College. Milwaukee: Alverno College, 1994.
Silver, Harvey F., Richard W. Strong, Matthew J. Perini. So Each May Learn: Integrating Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2000.
Sousa, David A. How the Brain Learns, Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2001.
Stiggins, Richard J. Student-Involved Assessment FOR Learning. Columbus, Ohio: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall, 2005.
Wiggins, Grant and McTighe, Jay. Understanding by Design. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall, 1998.
Writing Study Group of the NCTE of the Executive Committee. "NCTE Beliefs About the Teaching of Writing." Nov. 2004. National Council of Teachers of English. 8 July 2005
Resources
(Not Cited)
Brown, Waln K. "Turning Your Life Around: Tips From an Ex-Juvenile Delinquent." Reclaiming Children and Youth 13.4 (2005): 218-223. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 8 July 2005.
Hassel, Holly and Lourey, Jessica. "The Dea(r)th of Student Responsibility." College Teaching 53.1 (2005): 2-12. EBSCO Host. Kilbourn Library, Wisconsin Dells, WI. 8 July 2005. http://www.ebscohost.com.
The National Commission on Writing. Writing: A Powerful Message From State Government. College Board, 2005.
Schmitz, Jo Ann ed. and Alverno College Faculty. Student Assessment-as-Learning at Alverno College. Milwaukee: Alverno College, 1994.
Shepard, Lorrie A. "The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture." Educational Researcher 29.7 (2000): 4-14.
Townsend, Jane S. "Silent Voices: What Happens to Quiet Students During Classroom Discussions?" English Journal Feb. 1998: 72-80.
Wolf, Dennie, Janet Bixby, John Glenn III, Howard Gardner. "Chapter 2: To Use Their Minds Well: Investigation New Forms of Student Assessment." Review of Research in Education, 17. Ed. Gerald Grant. Washington, DC: The American Educational Research Association, 1991. 31-74.
Writing Study Group of the NCTE of the Executive Committee. "NCTE Beliefs About the Teaching of Writing." Nov. 2004. National Council of Teachers of English. 8 July 2005 http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/category/write/118876.htm.
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Teaching Shakespeare
High school English teachers must teach many demanding texts. For
most teachers the most difficult texts to teach are those of William
Shakespeare. Most English teachers truly love the world of Shakespeare
and the language used in it. But it is not an easy world to enter. It is
even more difficult to help another person enter this world. English
teachers must develop ways of showing meaning and methods of encouraging
understanding. Following is a summary and synthesis of three articles,
written by or about English teachers in the trenches, that deal with
some of the problems encountered when teaching Shakespeare.
John S. O’Connor wrote an article titled "Playing with Subtext: Using Groucho to Teach Shakespeare." "Using Groucho Marx to explore Shakespeare’s plays may seem iconoclastic" (O’Connor 100). Indeed it is a little bit of a stretch to place Groucho Marx next to Shakespeare but then remember the line from Mr. Holland’s Opus where Mr. Holland says that he will use any thing from rock and roll to Beethoven to get through to his students. What O’Connor did in his class was to present a scene from a Groucho Marx movie in which the subtext is very obvious. He then related the element of subtext present in the movie to the subtext present in Shakespeare. When practicing the extraction of context O’Connor gives his students four points to consider: one, the social context of the scene; two, the goal of the character; three, the desires of the character; and four, the obstacles that are keeping the character from those goals and desires. Once the students have considered these questions about a scene he has volunteers act out the scene. The students insert asides that reflect the subtext, and after getting a couple different sub-textual readings, he has the students act out the scene without the asides to encourage the students to think like actors. He finds that this approach makes the students able to extract subtext while reading and it also makes the students more aware of the sub-textual elements of a performance. Problems, however, do arise when students develop an understanding of subtext. The biggest problem is that much of the subtext in Shakespeare’s plays would be deemed "inappropriate."
According to Vicky Greenbaum appropriateness is just a myth. Her article, "Censorship and the Myth of Appropriateness: Reflections on Teaching Reading in High School," attempts to quell the concerns of English teachers over appropriateness. Greenbaum cites a study by David Perkins which questions the Piaget theory that there are levels of appropriateness that develop at their own pace. This study proved that by implementing various teaching methods a child could be moved through the stages faster. Greenbaum’s stand is that it is the duty of English teachers to present difficult texts even though it may bring up questionable topics; moreover, she says that any text read with a trained eye will find such topics. Greenbaum also supports the teaching of critical thinking skills as opposed to simply enforcing reading comprehension skills. Teachers must connect what is being read with the outside world but also allow the student to decide how much of the text to actually take in; if a text is too painful for a student, the student can pull back from the text by exploring all the different readings of a text. These concerns might be true of the reader with normal reading skills who reads Shakespeare but what about the student who struggles with less than normal reading skills.
Kathryn King Johnson, in "Teaching Shakespeare to Learning Disabled Students," describes a year long class taught to learning disabled students that focused on not only reading Shakespeare but performing it as well. The makeup of the class was entirely learning disabled students. To help the students learn the lines a special approach was used to help each individual student. The visual learners were given various visual aids, the auditory learners were given audio tapes of the lines to listen to, kinesthetic learners practiced lines in association with the movements of the play so the movements and words became linked and mnemonics were taught to all students. The real challenge came in having the words create meaning for the students. To help students determine the meaning of words, etymologies, Latin roots, and prefixes and suffixes were taught to the students. A dyslexic student in the class was able to improve her reading scores by four grade levels. The real basis for learning and teaching was collaborative efforts and experiential elements. Students were involved in what ever aspect of the production that they wished. The roles they chose were based on their strengths. The students were also working toward the practical goal of performing the play. But what is the relationship of these three articles.
The most obvious relationship is that they all relate to the teaching of William Shakespeare. O’Connor's article deals with helping students read for sub-textual dialog, Greenbaum’s article deals with the "Myth of Appropriateness," and Johnson’s article is about teaching Shakespeare to learning disabled students. There is really no agreement or disagreement between the articles but there is a building up of ideas if they are read in the order presented (even though this is out of chronological order). By reading the articles in this order, there is first a question of how to teach subtext. O’Connor gives a solution to that problem and then Greenbaum questions the appropriateness of Shakespearean subtext and then refutes appropriateness as a myth. Finally, Johnson asks a more practical question of how to teach Shakespeare to learning disabled students and then presents one teacher’s solution to the problem. How will all this affect my teaching?
The most important article for answering my practical questions was O’Connor’s article about how to teach subtext. I think that it is a very good idea to present a simplified version of a concept before addressing the concept in a more difficult incarnation. This method can be used to help students understand many concepts. What was even more impressive about this technique was that it got the students physically and mentally involved. Asking the students to consider the four points (the social context of the scene, the goal of the character, the desires of the character, and the obstacles that are keeping the character from those goals and desires) would break the problem down into pieces the students could manage and consider. I can easily see using those four points while teaching Shakespeare.
Greenbaum’s article touched on a topic of much concern for me. I’m certain one of my categories in my portfolio will be on this topic. That is the idea of censorship. It has long been my belief that censorship is not only stifling ideas but growth. This article seems to support my long held belief. I also plan on advising the school newspaper or teaching a newspaper class where ever I wind up teaching and censorship must be addressed when teaching newspaper. But more importantly it must be decided how much censorship will be done. I do not believe that I could work with a student newspaper that was subject to unreasonable censorship. Of course there are some restrictions on what a student can write and publish (libel laws) but I don’t know how I would deal with an administrator who told my students that they couldn’t do a story on teen pregnancy (for example). I read a story last year that told about a teacher who was removed from her post as newspaper advisor because she allowed just such a story to run in her paper. Her position was that she was letting the students decide what they wanted to include in the paper while giving them guidance on the consequences of their actions. This is a difficult issue that I have not entirely figured out yet.
The final article does not really address a situation that I am likely to face. I’m certain that I will have students with learning disabilities but I do not think that I will ever be in a position to teach an entire class of learning disabled students. But something important to glean from this article is the practice of teaching to a student’s strength while still challenging the students. One criticism I have of this article is that the fact that there was a large number of outside professionals brought in to assist was played down. There are very few teachers who would be able to pull together the amount of assistance that the teacher presented was able to pull together. I guess that this is a vote for the importance of "networking."
While doing this assignment I was at first astonished by the lack of materials in our library. I printed off six abstracts that indicated an article of use to me. I expected to find four or five and have to exclude material. But instead our library only had three of the articles I was looking for (all of which came from English Journal which is published by the National Council for the Teaching of English). But the articles I found were useful and informative. The teaching of Shakespeare is a very real concern of mine. After observing a teacher with an acting background tackle the subject with such ease I feel that it will be difficult for me to get the reaction he did. This assignment helped me to calm some of those fears. As O’Connor said in his article, "Equally important when studying a play, we had fun" (100). I need to remember that when teaching any piece of literature.
[The bold items are the articles used in this paper.]
Batho, Rob. "Shakespeare in Secondary Schools." Educational Review 50 (1998): 163-72.
Gibson, Rex. "Owning Shakespeare: Teaching His Plays by Performance." International Schools Journal 18.1 (1998): 9-21.
Greenbaum, Vicky. "Censorship and the Myth of Appropriateness: Reflections on Teaching Reading in High School." English Journal 86.2 (1997): 16-20.
Johnson, Kathryn King. "Teaching Shakespeare to Learning Disabled Students." English Journal 87.3 (1998): 45-49.
Newlin, Louisa Foulke. "Nice Guys Finish Dead. Teaching ‘Henry IV, Part I.’" English Journal 17.3 (1996): 22-25.
O’Connor, John S. "Playing with Subtext: Using Groucho to Teach Shakespeare." English Journal 88.1 (1998): 97-100.
John S. O’Connor wrote an article titled "Playing with Subtext: Using Groucho to Teach Shakespeare." "Using Groucho Marx to explore Shakespeare’s plays may seem iconoclastic" (O’Connor 100). Indeed it is a little bit of a stretch to place Groucho Marx next to Shakespeare but then remember the line from Mr. Holland’s Opus where Mr. Holland says that he will use any thing from rock and roll to Beethoven to get through to his students. What O’Connor did in his class was to present a scene from a Groucho Marx movie in which the subtext is very obvious. He then related the element of subtext present in the movie to the subtext present in Shakespeare. When practicing the extraction of context O’Connor gives his students four points to consider: one, the social context of the scene; two, the goal of the character; three, the desires of the character; and four, the obstacles that are keeping the character from those goals and desires. Once the students have considered these questions about a scene he has volunteers act out the scene. The students insert asides that reflect the subtext, and after getting a couple different sub-textual readings, he has the students act out the scene without the asides to encourage the students to think like actors. He finds that this approach makes the students able to extract subtext while reading and it also makes the students more aware of the sub-textual elements of a performance. Problems, however, do arise when students develop an understanding of subtext. The biggest problem is that much of the subtext in Shakespeare’s plays would be deemed "inappropriate."
According to Vicky Greenbaum appropriateness is just a myth. Her article, "Censorship and the Myth of Appropriateness: Reflections on Teaching Reading in High School," attempts to quell the concerns of English teachers over appropriateness. Greenbaum cites a study by David Perkins which questions the Piaget theory that there are levels of appropriateness that develop at their own pace. This study proved that by implementing various teaching methods a child could be moved through the stages faster. Greenbaum’s stand is that it is the duty of English teachers to present difficult texts even though it may bring up questionable topics; moreover, she says that any text read with a trained eye will find such topics. Greenbaum also supports the teaching of critical thinking skills as opposed to simply enforcing reading comprehension skills. Teachers must connect what is being read with the outside world but also allow the student to decide how much of the text to actually take in; if a text is too painful for a student, the student can pull back from the text by exploring all the different readings of a text. These concerns might be true of the reader with normal reading skills who reads Shakespeare but what about the student who struggles with less than normal reading skills.
Kathryn King Johnson, in "Teaching Shakespeare to Learning Disabled Students," describes a year long class taught to learning disabled students that focused on not only reading Shakespeare but performing it as well. The makeup of the class was entirely learning disabled students. To help the students learn the lines a special approach was used to help each individual student. The visual learners were given various visual aids, the auditory learners were given audio tapes of the lines to listen to, kinesthetic learners practiced lines in association with the movements of the play so the movements and words became linked and mnemonics were taught to all students. The real challenge came in having the words create meaning for the students. To help students determine the meaning of words, etymologies, Latin roots, and prefixes and suffixes were taught to the students. A dyslexic student in the class was able to improve her reading scores by four grade levels. The real basis for learning and teaching was collaborative efforts and experiential elements. Students were involved in what ever aspect of the production that they wished. The roles they chose were based on their strengths. The students were also working toward the practical goal of performing the play. But what is the relationship of these three articles.
The most obvious relationship is that they all relate to the teaching of William Shakespeare. O’Connor's article deals with helping students read for sub-textual dialog, Greenbaum’s article deals with the "Myth of Appropriateness," and Johnson’s article is about teaching Shakespeare to learning disabled students. There is really no agreement or disagreement between the articles but there is a building up of ideas if they are read in the order presented (even though this is out of chronological order). By reading the articles in this order, there is first a question of how to teach subtext. O’Connor gives a solution to that problem and then Greenbaum questions the appropriateness of Shakespearean subtext and then refutes appropriateness as a myth. Finally, Johnson asks a more practical question of how to teach Shakespeare to learning disabled students and then presents one teacher’s solution to the problem. How will all this affect my teaching?
The most important article for answering my practical questions was O’Connor’s article about how to teach subtext. I think that it is a very good idea to present a simplified version of a concept before addressing the concept in a more difficult incarnation. This method can be used to help students understand many concepts. What was even more impressive about this technique was that it got the students physically and mentally involved. Asking the students to consider the four points (the social context of the scene, the goal of the character, the desires of the character, and the obstacles that are keeping the character from those goals and desires) would break the problem down into pieces the students could manage and consider. I can easily see using those four points while teaching Shakespeare.
Greenbaum’s article touched on a topic of much concern for me. I’m certain one of my categories in my portfolio will be on this topic. That is the idea of censorship. It has long been my belief that censorship is not only stifling ideas but growth. This article seems to support my long held belief. I also plan on advising the school newspaper or teaching a newspaper class where ever I wind up teaching and censorship must be addressed when teaching newspaper. But more importantly it must be decided how much censorship will be done. I do not believe that I could work with a student newspaper that was subject to unreasonable censorship. Of course there are some restrictions on what a student can write and publish (libel laws) but I don’t know how I would deal with an administrator who told my students that they couldn’t do a story on teen pregnancy (for example). I read a story last year that told about a teacher who was removed from her post as newspaper advisor because she allowed just such a story to run in her paper. Her position was that she was letting the students decide what they wanted to include in the paper while giving them guidance on the consequences of their actions. This is a difficult issue that I have not entirely figured out yet.
The final article does not really address a situation that I am likely to face. I’m certain that I will have students with learning disabilities but I do not think that I will ever be in a position to teach an entire class of learning disabled students. But something important to glean from this article is the practice of teaching to a student’s strength while still challenging the students. One criticism I have of this article is that the fact that there was a large number of outside professionals brought in to assist was played down. There are very few teachers who would be able to pull together the amount of assistance that the teacher presented was able to pull together. I guess that this is a vote for the importance of "networking."
While doing this assignment I was at first astonished by the lack of materials in our library. I printed off six abstracts that indicated an article of use to me. I expected to find four or five and have to exclude material. But instead our library only had three of the articles I was looking for (all of which came from English Journal which is published by the National Council for the Teaching of English). But the articles I found were useful and informative. The teaching of Shakespeare is a very real concern of mine. After observing a teacher with an acting background tackle the subject with such ease I feel that it will be difficult for me to get the reaction he did. This assignment helped me to calm some of those fears. As O’Connor said in his article, "Equally important when studying a play, we had fun" (100). I need to remember that when teaching any piece of literature.
Bibliography
[The bold items are the articles used in this paper.]
Batho, Rob. "Shakespeare in Secondary Schools." Educational Review 50 (1998): 163-72.
Gibson, Rex. "Owning Shakespeare: Teaching His Plays by Performance." International Schools Journal 18.1 (1998): 9-21.
Greenbaum, Vicky. "Censorship and the Myth of Appropriateness: Reflections on Teaching Reading in High School." English Journal 86.2 (1997): 16-20.
Johnson, Kathryn King. "Teaching Shakespeare to Learning Disabled Students." English Journal 87.3 (1998): 45-49.
Newlin, Louisa Foulke. "Nice Guys Finish Dead. Teaching ‘Henry IV, Part I.’" English Journal 17.3 (1996): 22-25.
O’Connor, John S. "Playing with Subtext: Using Groucho to Teach Shakespeare." English Journal 88.1 (1998): 97-100.
"Bartleby, the Scrivener" and ADHD
It may seem odd and even illogical to place Bartleby alongside of
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). And really it is a
little problematic. Bartleby, if he suffered from anything, it would be
more like catatonic schizophrenia or some other mental illness that
equates with idleness. And ADHD denotes a person who is impatient and
unwilling to sit still. What allows Bartleby to be included in a
discussion of ADHD is not the way he acted but the way he was treated
because of his actions. Bartleby refused to fit in and so he was sent to
an asylum. Kids with ADHD "refuse" to fit in and they are drugged into
submission.
According to the National Institute for Mental Health ADHD "can mar the person's relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem" (Neuwirth). These things are certainly true but what really causes the child to develop a low self-esteem? Isn’t the true source of the child’s low self-esteem from his/her inability to fit into a system that doesn’t work for them? The reality of this situation is that children who have ADHD are put on drugs so they can change to fit into the system. Why can’t the system change to fit them? This brings me to a way of understanding Bartleby that says something to me, the future teacher.
In "Bartleby, the Scrivener," I view the narrator as the teacher and the scriveners as students. This arrangement is enforced by what is done in the office, and it is enforced by the relationship between the characters. The narrator is in charge of the office and yet he seems to have to put up with certain idiosyncrasies in his employees. This is just like a teacher; a teacher will find certain characteristics within the students that are annoying and undesirable. The narrator is able to accept the character flaws of his two older scriveners. But when Bartleby responds to every request with an "I’d prefer not to" the narrator doesn’t know what to do. This is like the teacher who can accept one student’s problem but not another student’s problem. It is interesting to note how the narrator addresses Bartleby upon Bartleby’s "refusal."
The narrator asks, "Why do you refuse?" and Bartleby’s reply is the standard "I would prefer not to" (Melville 2336). The narrator uses the word "refuse" but Bartleby never refuses to do the work. He simply says that he "would prefer not to." He never says "I can’t," "I won’t," "I don’t know how," "I don’t have to," or "I refuse to." His "I prefer not to" can mean so many of these or all of these at the same time. But students in the class room would be more likely to give one of the more specific responses listed above. This, however, doesn’t mean that the student is actually saying what he or she means either. A student with ADHD could say any one of those excuses when the real reason is that they have a condition that won’t allow them to fit in. So, can the system change?
In the story the system actually does change to accommodate Bartleby. The duties and assignments of a scrivener are established by all those present in the office (Melville 2336). And the duties that Bartleby "prefers" not to do are on that list. But exceptions are made that allow Bartleby to be excluded from these established duties (Melville 2340). These exclusions do two things: Bartleby becomes an even greater outsider, and they open the door to further refusals to work. I have encountered many students who are privileged by their "handicap." The basic English 10 student who is allowed to sleep through class, the "emotionally disturbed" student who is allowed to act out in class and the physically "handicapped" student who uses that handicap as a excuse for failure in life are just some of the tragedies that I have seen from labeling kids as "special" or "different." But then teachers all have hearts like the narrator’s.
He is so disturbed by Bartleby’s behavior that he moves his entire office to get away from Bartleby. Teachers have it a little easier. They can (possibly) have the student transferred out of the classroom; the teacher doesn’t have to move. And even though the narrator went to all this trouble he still goes back to check on Bartleby at the old office, and he visits Bartleby at the prison/asylum. Bartleby is upset with the narrator upon the visit to the prison. "‘I know you,’ he said, without looking round,--"and I want nothing to say to you’" (Melville 2353). This would be like a teacher who has "failed" a student checking up on that student. Even more important is the scene in which Bartleby refuses to write. The narrator asks, "And what is the reason," to which Bartleby replies, "Do you not see the reason for yourself" (Melville 2344). The narrator responds by saying that it must be Bartleby’s eyes bothering him. I find this scene, and the many scenes like it I have witnessed in the schools, disturbing. A child who doesn’t know what is wrong tries to get help by reaching out to a teacher only to receive the kind of "understanding" that the narrator gives Bartleby. Since changing the system won’t work in today’s society, it is important to recognize the signs of ADHD so that treatment can be given.
According to the National Institute for Mental Health some signs are:
becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds
failing to pay attention to details
making careless mistakes
rarely following instructions carefully
completely losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and tools needed for a task
feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming running, climbing, or leaving
a seat, in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected
blurting out answers before hearing the whole question
and having difficulty waiting in line or for a turn. (Neuwirth)
I believe as this story suggests that in today’s society the system cannot change. I, however, also believe that as a country we will have to learn to accept people for who they are. Forcing people to take drugs to fit in to what is an arbitrary construction seems wrong to me. But that construction is so firmly established it will take years to change it. I strongly believe that when students who suffer from ADHD are put on drugs they gain the ability to fit in at the cost of something we don’t yet understand.
Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener." American Literature: Volume 1, fifth edition. Ed. Baym, Nina. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998. 2330-2355.
Neuwirth, Sharyn. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. 6 Jan. 1999. (6 Dec. 1999).
According to the National Institute for Mental Health ADHD "can mar the person's relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem" (Neuwirth). These things are certainly true but what really causes the child to develop a low self-esteem? Isn’t the true source of the child’s low self-esteem from his/her inability to fit into a system that doesn’t work for them? The reality of this situation is that children who have ADHD are put on drugs so they can change to fit into the system. Why can’t the system change to fit them? This brings me to a way of understanding Bartleby that says something to me, the future teacher.
In "Bartleby, the Scrivener," I view the narrator as the teacher and the scriveners as students. This arrangement is enforced by what is done in the office, and it is enforced by the relationship between the characters. The narrator is in charge of the office and yet he seems to have to put up with certain idiosyncrasies in his employees. This is just like a teacher; a teacher will find certain characteristics within the students that are annoying and undesirable. The narrator is able to accept the character flaws of his two older scriveners. But when Bartleby responds to every request with an "I’d prefer not to" the narrator doesn’t know what to do. This is like the teacher who can accept one student’s problem but not another student’s problem. It is interesting to note how the narrator addresses Bartleby upon Bartleby’s "refusal."
The narrator asks, "Why do you refuse?" and Bartleby’s reply is the standard "I would prefer not to" (Melville 2336). The narrator uses the word "refuse" but Bartleby never refuses to do the work. He simply says that he "would prefer not to." He never says "I can’t," "I won’t," "I don’t know how," "I don’t have to," or "I refuse to." His "I prefer not to" can mean so many of these or all of these at the same time. But students in the class room would be more likely to give one of the more specific responses listed above. This, however, doesn’t mean that the student is actually saying what he or she means either. A student with ADHD could say any one of those excuses when the real reason is that they have a condition that won’t allow them to fit in. So, can the system change?
In the story the system actually does change to accommodate Bartleby. The duties and assignments of a scrivener are established by all those present in the office (Melville 2336). And the duties that Bartleby "prefers" not to do are on that list. But exceptions are made that allow Bartleby to be excluded from these established duties (Melville 2340). These exclusions do two things: Bartleby becomes an even greater outsider, and they open the door to further refusals to work. I have encountered many students who are privileged by their "handicap." The basic English 10 student who is allowed to sleep through class, the "emotionally disturbed" student who is allowed to act out in class and the physically "handicapped" student who uses that handicap as a excuse for failure in life are just some of the tragedies that I have seen from labeling kids as "special" or "different." But then teachers all have hearts like the narrator’s.
He is so disturbed by Bartleby’s behavior that he moves his entire office to get away from Bartleby. Teachers have it a little easier. They can (possibly) have the student transferred out of the classroom; the teacher doesn’t have to move. And even though the narrator went to all this trouble he still goes back to check on Bartleby at the old office, and he visits Bartleby at the prison/asylum. Bartleby is upset with the narrator upon the visit to the prison. "‘I know you,’ he said, without looking round,--"and I want nothing to say to you’" (Melville 2353). This would be like a teacher who has "failed" a student checking up on that student. Even more important is the scene in which Bartleby refuses to write. The narrator asks, "And what is the reason," to which Bartleby replies, "Do you not see the reason for yourself" (Melville 2344). The narrator responds by saying that it must be Bartleby’s eyes bothering him. I find this scene, and the many scenes like it I have witnessed in the schools, disturbing. A child who doesn’t know what is wrong tries to get help by reaching out to a teacher only to receive the kind of "understanding" that the narrator gives Bartleby. Since changing the system won’t work in today’s society, it is important to recognize the signs of ADHD so that treatment can be given.
According to the National Institute for Mental Health some signs are:
becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds
failing to pay attention to details
making careless mistakes
rarely following instructions carefully
completely losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and tools needed for a task
feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming running, climbing, or leaving
a seat, in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected
blurting out answers before hearing the whole question
and having difficulty waiting in line or for a turn. (Neuwirth)
I believe as this story suggests that in today’s society the system cannot change. I, however, also believe that as a country we will have to learn to accept people for who they are. Forcing people to take drugs to fit in to what is an arbitrary construction seems wrong to me. But that construction is so firmly established it will take years to change it. I strongly believe that when students who suffer from ADHD are put on drugs they gain the ability to fit in at the cost of something we don’t yet understand.
Works Cited
Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener." American Literature: Volume 1, fifth edition. Ed. Baym, Nina. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998. 2330-2355.
Neuwirth, Sharyn. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. 6 Jan. 1999.
Teaching Science Fiction and Fantasy
There has been a balancing act going on for many years between a lack
of parent involvement in schools and parents who wish to run the
school. Some parents refuse to be involved in their child’s education
even to the point of ignoring the needs of the child. Other parents feel
right at home making decisions for their children and some even try to
make decisions for teachers. The most pronounced and visible cases of
this come in the form of book censorship. This has become a focus for
the media in the last year because of the undeniable success and
controversy that surrounds J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. The Harry
Potter series, according to the American Library Association’s Office
for Intellectual Freedom, was named the most challenged on the list of
top ten most challenged books in 1999 (Oder).
J. K. Rowlings is a British author so it might seem odd that I am focusing on her in a project for an American literature survey class. The controversy, though, is happening in America. I am not sure where the first contention came from but it is clearly a big issue from the number of articles I found on the debate. Many different people and groups give many different warnings about Harry Potter. One, Family Friendly Libraries (FFL), warns that the "Harry Potter books are not appropriate for the public school classroom, because of occult themes, violent content, and antifamily bias" (Rogers). Of course, anytime there are such a large number of people yelling so loudly about one topic their arguments tend to come from all sides. The FFL criticizes Harry Potter because the books present an "antifamily bias." Christine Schoefer says that Harry Potter supports a strong a patriarchy. While not being exactly on opposite sides of the fence these two arguments certainly don’t concur.
There is also a more intellectual argument against books like Harry Potter. Some say that the loss of "the classics" in the classroom is why so many people are turned off to and cannot understand literature. One such protestor is Francine Prose (specifically from her article, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read"). While not specifically addressing Harry Potter (she does talk about other sci-fi and fantasy works), Prose’s distrust of anything other than a classic work would probably cause her to respond to such works similarly. Her argument is that teaching contemporary works that were written with no concern for the intricacies of language cause these books to be taught with no emphasis on close reading (line by line interpretation).
The largest united front against Harry Potter has come from Christianity. The magic and "occult" images in the books has conservative Christians thumping their Bibles and pointing fingers. And some of the religious opposition comes from the students themselves. Third grader Jean-Paul goes to the library during reading time because of Harry Potter; he says, "In the Bible it says not to do witchcraft" (Keim). Even with all this opposition I don’t think that Harry Potter will be banned from any school.
As I said earlier it is very difficult for such a large opposition to be united. This is also true of the Christian argument that the books support cult activity. An article in the Christian Science Monitor even praises Harry Potter:
"When Harry was in trouble, he had to remember something that made him happy. Prayer often goes a lot deeper than just remembering something that makes us happy. But it always puts us on line with God. I noticed that Harry did have to have complete concentration. He couldn’t think happy thoughts and fearful thoughts at the same time. And it’s that way with prayer as well." (C.S.M.)
And the presence of wizards and magic do not automatically mean that a work of literature is supporting anti-Christian beliefs. A supervisor of Cult activity, Bob Waldrep says, "I don’t think it’s a strong enough case to say a book should be pulled because it has witches and wizards and violence in it. Based on those criteria, how many books would be in the schools?" (Keim). And that is probably the most important reason why Harry Potter and similar books will remain in the schools.
If we look at what would be viewed as perfectly acceptable pieces of literature to teach, you would find stories like Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and many other stories (like all the Arthurian legends) that use magic and "occult" themes and ideas. "Wizardry has played an acceptable role in British literature for centuries. The Arthurian legend gave a preeminent place to Merlin, the beneficent court magician, and to the evil sorceress Morgan le Fay, Arthur’s sister and rival for his throne" (Ballard).
There have been many modern books that contain elements of fantasy that have not been ridiculed; the Oz books, and The Chronicles of Narnia are just a few (Ballard). Many of Shakespeare’s plays are filled with criticisms and doubts about the Christian faith yet I doubt anybody would argue that they shouldn’t be taught in the high school. Prose’s concern over the lack of classical works being taught is a little more serious. I, however, do not agree with her belief that modern literature is unconcerned with the function of language and therefore cannot and is not read closely. As with everything though I believe that it is important to strike a balance between. Students should be exposed to a wide range of literature from different times, cultures, and beliefs.
Bibliography:
Ballard, S.B. "Thoughts on Harry Potter: Wizardry, Good and Evil." Anglican Theological Review. Winter 2000: 173-175.
"Does Harry Potter Know How to Pray." Christian Science Monitor. 5 October 1999: 19.
In Time of Emergency: a Citizen’s Handbook on Nuclear Attack and Natural Disasters. Department of Defense: Office of Civil Defense, 1968.
Keim, David. "Parents Push for Wizard-Free Reading." Christianity Today. 10 January 2000: 23.
Le Guin, Ursula K. A Wizard fo Earthsea. New York: Bantam Books, 1968.
Moukheiber, Zina and Pappas Ben. "The Geeks have Inherited the Earth." Forbes. 14 (1997): 348-355.
Neill, Derrick. "When Censorship Gets Personal." NEA Today. April 1999: 41.
Oder, Norman. "Harry Potter Most Challenged." Library Journal. 1 March 2000: 19.
Patrouch, Joe. "Some Thoughts on American SF." Extrapolation. Spring 1997: 5-14.
Prose, Francine. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read." Harper’s. September 1999: 76-84.
Rogers, Norman and Oder, Norman. "FFL, Others Target ‘Harry Potter.’" Library Journal. 15 November 1999: 14-15.
Sanders, William. "The Undiscovered." The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Fifteenth Annual Collection. Ed. Gardner Dozois. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998. 224-244.
Schoefer, Christine. "Harry Potter and the Magical World of Patriarchy." New Moon Network. March-April 2000: 10-11.
Silverberg, Robert. "There Was an Old Woman." Not of Woman Born. Ed. Constance Ash. New York: Penquin Putnam, 1999. 140-154.
J. K. Rowlings is a British author so it might seem odd that I am focusing on her in a project for an American literature survey class. The controversy, though, is happening in America. I am not sure where the first contention came from but it is clearly a big issue from the number of articles I found on the debate. Many different people and groups give many different warnings about Harry Potter. One, Family Friendly Libraries (FFL), warns that the "Harry Potter books are not appropriate for the public school classroom, because of occult themes, violent content, and antifamily bias" (Rogers). Of course, anytime there are such a large number of people yelling so loudly about one topic their arguments tend to come from all sides. The FFL criticizes Harry Potter because the books present an "antifamily bias." Christine Schoefer says that Harry Potter supports a strong a patriarchy. While not being exactly on opposite sides of the fence these two arguments certainly don’t concur.
There is also a more intellectual argument against books like Harry Potter. Some say that the loss of "the classics" in the classroom is why so many people are turned off to and cannot understand literature. One such protestor is Francine Prose (specifically from her article, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read"). While not specifically addressing Harry Potter (she does talk about other sci-fi and fantasy works), Prose’s distrust of anything other than a classic work would probably cause her to respond to such works similarly. Her argument is that teaching contemporary works that were written with no concern for the intricacies of language cause these books to be taught with no emphasis on close reading (line by line interpretation).
The largest united front against Harry Potter has come from Christianity. The magic and "occult" images in the books has conservative Christians thumping their Bibles and pointing fingers. And some of the religious opposition comes from the students themselves. Third grader Jean-Paul goes to the library during reading time because of Harry Potter; he says, "In the Bible it says not to do witchcraft" (Keim). Even with all this opposition I don’t think that Harry Potter will be banned from any school.
As I said earlier it is very difficult for such a large opposition to be united. This is also true of the Christian argument that the books support cult activity. An article in the Christian Science Monitor even praises Harry Potter:
"When Harry was in trouble, he had to remember something that made him happy. Prayer often goes a lot deeper than just remembering something that makes us happy. But it always puts us on line with God. I noticed that Harry did have to have complete concentration. He couldn’t think happy thoughts and fearful thoughts at the same time. And it’s that way with prayer as well." (C.S.M.)
And the presence of wizards and magic do not automatically mean that a work of literature is supporting anti-Christian beliefs. A supervisor of Cult activity, Bob Waldrep says, "I don’t think it’s a strong enough case to say a book should be pulled because it has witches and wizards and violence in it. Based on those criteria, how many books would be in the schools?" (Keim). And that is probably the most important reason why Harry Potter and similar books will remain in the schools.
If we look at what would be viewed as perfectly acceptable pieces of literature to teach, you would find stories like Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and many other stories (like all the Arthurian legends) that use magic and "occult" themes and ideas. "Wizardry has played an acceptable role in British literature for centuries. The Arthurian legend gave a preeminent place to Merlin, the beneficent court magician, and to the evil sorceress Morgan le Fay, Arthur’s sister and rival for his throne" (Ballard).
There have been many modern books that contain elements of fantasy that have not been ridiculed; the Oz books, and The Chronicles of Narnia are just a few (Ballard). Many of Shakespeare’s plays are filled with criticisms and doubts about the Christian faith yet I doubt anybody would argue that they shouldn’t be taught in the high school. Prose’s concern over the lack of classical works being taught is a little more serious. I, however, do not agree with her belief that modern literature is unconcerned with the function of language and therefore cannot and is not read closely. As with everything though I believe that it is important to strike a balance between. Students should be exposed to a wide range of literature from different times, cultures, and beliefs.
Bibliography:
Ballard, S.B. "Thoughts on Harry Potter: Wizardry, Good and Evil." Anglican Theological Review. Winter 2000: 173-175.
"Does Harry Potter Know How to Pray." Christian Science Monitor. 5 October 1999: 19.
In Time of Emergency: a Citizen’s Handbook on Nuclear Attack and Natural Disasters. Department of Defense: Office of Civil Defense, 1968.
Keim, David. "Parents Push for Wizard-Free Reading." Christianity Today. 10 January 2000: 23.
Le Guin, Ursula K. A Wizard fo Earthsea. New York: Bantam Books, 1968.
Moukheiber, Zina and Pappas Ben. "The Geeks have Inherited the Earth." Forbes. 14 (1997): 348-355.
Neill, Derrick. "When Censorship Gets Personal." NEA Today. April 1999: 41.
Oder, Norman. "Harry Potter Most Challenged." Library Journal. 1 March 2000: 19.
Patrouch, Joe. "Some Thoughts on American SF." Extrapolation. Spring 1997: 5-14.
Prose, Francine. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read." Harper’s. September 1999: 76-84.
Rogers, Norman and Oder, Norman. "FFL, Others Target ‘Harry Potter.’" Library Journal. 15 November 1999: 14-15.
Sanders, William. "The Undiscovered." The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Fifteenth Annual Collection. Ed. Gardner Dozois. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998. 224-244.
Schoefer, Christine. "Harry Potter and the Magical World of Patriarchy." New Moon Network. March-April 2000: 10-11.
Silverberg, Robert. "There Was an Old Woman." Not of Woman Born. Ed. Constance Ash. New York: Penquin Putnam, 1999. 140-154.