I recently read a pretty inspiring article titled "What Students Really Need to Hear" by Chase Mielke. Check it out… you'll probably end up writing, sharing, or at least deeply thinking about it too.
As I read through his article, I just kept thinking, "Yeah, this is the good stuff. Kids should hear this. Kids NEED to hear this."
I first thought of my own school environment, one that really has a lot of great things going- we focus on student leadership, inquiry instruction, understanding the world at large, and community service. Our mission statement claims we inspire students to be courageous and embark on journeys of personal exploration in ways that helps them embrace and lead purposeful lives. On principle (and in reality) my school is the place to be if you believe what Mr. Mielke had to say in his article. But, however ideal my little bubble is, my school can't completely withstand the educational havoc going on around us. It seeps into the cracks, invades our classrooms and our kids, whispers lies in the ears of teachers… The grade-driven, performance dwelling mindsets are alive and well in the world, despite our best efforts to fight them. And, it's not our fault, really, that this happens. But IS our fault if we do nothing about it.
I also thought of my husband, a first year teacher at a school that has, in my opinion, an archaically traditional approach to education. He fights against the grain every day (my words, not his) to teach kids to love learning and to be themselves, to grapple with life, to see school as a place where failure is OK, to become the best versions of themselves. Unfortunately, his passion and struggle is far too often met with, "So, what about my grade?"
Seriously? No, but really… SERIOUSLY?
Is this what we've come to? A world where children care more about the grades they get than the people they are becoming?
Ask a class of high-schoolers to reflect on "the purpose of education"- honestly, try it. I have. And I was overwhelmed with how many responded "To graduate with a 4.0" or "To get an A." It was pretty disheartening. Others responded in ways that were a little (but not much) better "To get in to a good college" or "To get a solid job." And while those are goals that will help students lead relatively successful professional lives, they are still missing the mark. As a teacher, my goal for students is two fold; I want them to love learning and I want them to become resilient, integrous, compassionate human beings. Unfortunately, "education" as it most predominately functions doesn't quite meet me eye to eye on this one… or half way… or really at all.
To add to that, this grade-driven environment brings out the WORST in students (I am speaking about students as a whole…not necessarily my own). They compete with each other, see teachers as an adversaries or tyrants, and build an "us against the world" mentality. They do as little as possible to get as much as possible, see anyone and everyone as a hinderance...a bother…an "oh my gosh, she's so annoying", and fail to recognize what school truly should be about. In a sense, they give up. Even the most academically achieving students have given up on the greater purpose of school… they've dismissed what matters most in pursuit of what matters least.
I love the way Mielke addresses this in his message to students, "The main event [of school] is learning how to deal with the harshness of life when it gets difficult--how to overcome problems as simple as a forgotten locker combination, to obnoxious peers, to gossip, to people doubting you, to asking for help in the face of self-doubt, to pushing yourself to concentrate when a million other thoughts and temptations are fingertips away. It is your resilience in conquering adversity that truly prepares you for life after school. Because, mark my words, school is not the most challenging time you will have in life. You will face far greater challenges than these. Sure, you will have times more amazing than you can imagine, but you will also confront incomparable tragedy, frustration, and fear in the years to come."
In order to help students see the light on these issues and start participating in the "main event" of school, we as teachers have to take ownership of our roles in the mission. Because, let's be honest, students wouldn't adopt some of these mindsets if we united to help prevent it. Thus, in pursuit of my own beliefs that were provoked by Mielke's passionate message, I have been rededicating myself to my kids. Slowly but surely I am attempting to help them see this greater purpose. I don't always know what I am doing or how to best communicate, but I am trying… and I think that is worth something.
How has it been going? Well, for some kids, the blinders are still on; it is as if they come to school each day with a glazed over goal to just glide through their classes, make the grade, and check "school" off the list. Again, not their fault; they are a product of the world they live in. Other kids, the majority I'd say, fall somewhere in the middle; they are passionate adolescents wanting to contribute to society and are constantly seeking meaning and purpose; but for one reason or another, they often find themselves lost and unable to truly grasp the "main event" of school. A final group contains a select few kids- those that have begun to see that school is so much more than a checklist of academics and are instead growing to understand that life will bring many challenges, that school is a safe place to prepare to meet and overcome them. They are also realizing learning isn't a product, it is a process- one that they have to be actively engaged with to truly grow and participate in life. For these few, the light is finally….(finally)….turning on.
And luckily, one light is enough to guide the way for others. But we can't stop there; we MUST continue this mission until we have drowned out the darkness, until all students are prepared with the resilience necessary to face and embrace the world. The time is now.
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