It's not about us. It's about them. What are you doing to pay-forward from your universe of possibility?
I was a terrible high school student. We were allowed 5 absences each semester before we had to attend court for truancy, and I missed the first 5 Mondays each semester for 3 years. The thing was that I told my teachers I would be absent (sometimes), and my parents knew (sometimes). My goal was to attend as little school on Mondays as possible, while also passing every class I took. I failed two classes in high school, both due to the absences. I was a steady D student from grades 9-11, and my plan to miss often times backfired. (Like the one time I actually got sick after I had already missed 5 days. I was responsible enough to attend class anyway, getting through the day feeling my own inflicted misery.)
When I was a junior, I entered a Media Technology class that focused on a weekly video production presenting the weeks news and stories. I loved the class structure, creative freedom, and most importantly the teacher. I loved it so much that my senior year, when I could’ve had late arrival to school every morning, I chose to instead enroll in the advanced class and as the teacher’s aid in the morning. I had found an outlet for which not even my laziness could overpower. This one class changed the way I treated education for the rest of my life, as I strived to work hard from that point on.
My goal as an educator extends directly from this course: to provide learners an opportunity to explore the various elements of design in order to motivate and inspire creativity. I have tried hard the last 4 years to pay it forward, and when I have a student who seems uninspired, or unwilling to adjust his decision making because they think they have it all figured out… I think back to my high school days, and I welcome them graciously.
I totally agree. It's so important for me to remember what it was like, to not be surprised or hurt that students are going to try to do as little as possible. I don't lower my standards and desire to see the best they can produce. But it's just not a give that students are going to want to do... when most of them have had their spirit crushed by the work-a-day world. We are their to serve, not to be served.
ReplyDeleteYou and I were very similar creatures in high school. I, too, did not want to be there. I found school to be boring and I was restless with ideas and thoughts that took me far away from the classroom. Years later I found out I was suffering from attention deficit disorder which now explains a lot of my behaviors. I did however, also find that one classroom. More than the class itself was the teacher who taught it. She had a way about her that made learning fun. The class itself could have been very boring but she was unique, thinking outside the box and preferred to use other methods than just reading from the textbook. I was fascinated by her and she touched me in a way that made a difference in how I looked at learning. She made me want to come back for more. Her pay it forward attitude helped me stay in school and now I find myself wanting to find ways to make learning fun for my students.
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