Advice for Educators

I now commence upon an almost impossible task: to convince some teachers to change their view of what education looks like. The arduousness of the task is grounded in a simple truth: the message will not reach the intended target primarily because the target audience is disinclined to look for this advice. Their view of teaching is flawed, as it is built upon flawed thinkng from its inception.

Teaching students, from my stance, is an intimately personal task, especially when one considers that I have become convinced over more than a quarter century in education that teachers don't really teach students anything. I know, I am being somewhat obtuse.

My viewpoint is that even in a classroom with thirty students, the teacher is holding a conversation with each student individually. Teachers always teach individual students, never classes. The conventional structure is usually a classroom with desks, students, various presentational tools and materials, and a teacher. However, the simple dynamic, though inordinately complicated in its exercise, is for the teacher to lead the student to knowledge or skill. In short, the teacher wants the student to understand something, and to have the skill to use that something in a mutlitude of ways.

This viewpoint is in stark contrast to the perception of the education process that my target audience exhibits. They see themselves as purveyors of knowledge, rahter than coaches and cultivators of talent. Consequently, their expectations are that students will acquire the necessary skills and knowledge because of an intrinsic appreciation for what the teacher has to offer.

The problem is simply that teaching is tough, regardless of the clientele, and the education of prepubescents and adolescents is even more difficult.

The complexity of the task of teaching is created by the scope of factors that influence the teacher's ability to lead students to the understanding and faciiity that is the objective of the lesson. The teacher has strengths and weaknesses, as do the students. The students have an immeasurable range of prior knowledge and understanding - or dearth thereof - as well as a full spectrum of aptitudes, prejudices, values, and ethics.

Additionally, students are subject to myriad external forces, many of which serve as impediments to learning. Among these are developmental issues including intellectual capacity, psychological readiness, and emotional stability and maturity.

Considering all of these things, one may think it a wonder that anyone ever learns anything at all. Yet learning is a natural occupation for all humans, and this fact is the most crusial tool that the teacher has at his disposal. Left to his own devices, every human is in a continual state of self-eduation; the problem is often that the student is engaged in learning things that are not included in the district curriculum. So the quesiton really becomes, "how do we get the students to learn what we think they need to learn, even when they are stridently averse or apathetic to learning it?"

An anecdote, certifiably true, and recently witnessed, may help to illustrate. A recalcitrant student in a fairly undemanding math class approaches the assistant principal to complain about his math teacher. The teacher, he contends, yells at him especially, and at the class as a whole, with great regularity. Considering the composition of the class, the assistant principal can imagine why the teacher is often inspired to yell: the students are disruptive, resistant to authority, disinterested in learning, and often surly to boot. When they aren't surly, they generally compensate by being apathetic or sleepy.

The student complains about one feature in particular. At the end of the class, the teacher often asks students to start their homework. She then uses this time to invite students who haven't grasped the day's objectives to come to her desk for individual help. When this student asks for help, he claims the teacher yells at him and tells him to sit down.

The assistant principal engages the teacher in conversation at his next opportunity. He acknowledges the difficulites that a teacher might have with this particular student, but expresses concern that she has sent the message that he is not eligible for help at the end of a lesson. "If they haven't taken notes, or if they haven't tried the whole period, I spend the time on students who are trying their best." she says. {I am paraphrasing here.]

The assistant principal says he understands, and advises the teacher to be certain that all of her students are given help when they request it. He acknowledges the inclination to make the student earn the support, but reminds the teacher that she is the one who invited students to the tutoring session. In short, if she is going to continue the practice of offering individual help to students who asks for it, she should make all of her students eligible for the help.

The teacher leaves, unhappy, as she feels that this student will abuse the privilege and prevent other needy students from accessing extra support.

What the assistant principal wants to say is this: "These annoying, beliggerent, lazy, and unresponsive students are exactly the people who will earn this school an unsatisfactory grade when the state assessments are given in the spring." In fact, this particular student is a junior, a member of the grade that will be assessed this year. He also wants to say, "Stop taking student behavior personally. Your job is to teach math, and to help all of your students to progress to an acceptable level. The state doesn't care about this student's personality. The state reports only his score, not his personality profile."

Having been in the trenches for twenty-three years, I know the challenges of undisciplined, defiant students. I also know that the real challenge of the teacher is to rise above the urge to let the troublesome student win. Students like the one described above aren't stupid; they are unaccomplished. The teacher should take it as a challenge to advance these students especially. Even the most mediocre teacher can help the motivated, engaged, and committed pupil. The excellent teacher teaches all of his/her students.

Perhaps this little nugget of wisdon might be of some value. I was told early in my career to always start out tough and strict, with the suggestion that I could always back off later. After all, the wisdom went, the students didn't have to like me; they just had to respect me.

I think that advice is foolish and wrong-headed, and I am glad I never listened. The expectations for behavior should be the same at the end as they are at the beginning. Those expectations should be few, simple, and consistently enforced. Furthermore, students who like their teachers work harder for them. Why in the world would teachers not want students to like them?

One warning: teachers should not make concessions or provide allowances so that students like them. None of the classroom management procedures should be implemented solely to promote high regard for the teacher. Instead, the teacher should be admired, respected, and highly regarded because his attitude is predicated on respect for the students. The rules of the classroom, intended to create the most user-friendly environemnt, and enforced with consistency and care, will promote the best in the teacher-student relationahip.

So the target audience for this piece will say, "So you are telling me that hard work isn't a requirement? You are saying that students who are lazy and disengaged during the lesson should be able to commandeer valuable time for personal assistance when industrious students will be made to wait in line?"

My answer is "No," and "Yes." Hard work allows most students to learn the lesson the first time, and few of them will be clamoring for help at the end of the period. Therefore, the teacher is still encouraging and reinforcing hard work. Secondly, the student who hasn't grasped the lesson, even if it's his own fault, still needs to grasp the lesson. Most of these students won't ask for help regardless. When one does, the teacher should take it as the greatest of opportunities.

The best thing that can happen is that the student will learn something, be encouraged to do the homework, and show up to class the next day with a better attitude. The worst thing that can happen is that one or two hard-working, but needy, students will be denied individual help. Truthfully, this happens to industrious students every day, and because they are industrious, they access help from friends, parents, tutors, and other services.

Again, quite simply, teaching a lesson to a student who may not otherwise learn it is more important than the secondary concerns.

Many teachers already know these things. The ones who don't have already stopped reading, and have constructed specious arguments to obviate their need to make an attitude shift.

Nevertheless, I needed to say what I have said.