As disheartening as the situation may be, the Jesuit you mentioned, Father Arthur, presents an interesting picture. We need to teach things the way that we participate in them. As adults we get the luxury, at least to a degree, to choose the things that we spend our time investigating. Students don't always get this luxury. Teachers may get to choose the subject they teach, but the more specific content often appears out of their hands. Teaching only becomes that much more difficult if the teacher doesn't want to be teaching the topic at hand. That being said, given our present place in academia, we have sat through plenty of classes, lectures, etc. that we most likely found uninteresting, but nonetheless gained something from them. The question seems to be how do we lay the foundation for a student to find something beneficial in something that does not necessarily interest them?
I've realize through our discussion (more from the in person than the digital at this point) that interest may not be the crux of, at least, my worry so much as, how does the material relate to the students we teach? Father Arthur's statement comes to mind again. He has the luxury of teaching prayer to those who seek it. As public school teachers we do not have such luxury. Of course, we still have the option to teach things in our own style. This adds to student engagement for sure, but my worry is still relating this style and the content it carries with it to our students. So many of them have been closed off by school. Much of what we do, as good intentioned as it may be--I'm thinking of your issues with respect for one another, among other things--pushes students further away from the learning process rather than bringing them into it. Test prep is a perfect example of this at my school. I realize our students need plenty of support with their writing. Building a relationship between Social Studies and ELA is a perfect way to address this--students use the skills they have learned in ELA for projects and writing assignments in Social Studies. However, given the regiment of test prep students do not see it this way and the stress put on teachers at this point in the year does not help foster an environment that supports this process. Students will walk into Social Studies, see the task for the day, and reply, "Oh no. Not you too."
Structures are often emphasized as a way to have a smooth running classroom. I agree with this, but it seems to emphasize it is the simple task that is important. One of our curriculum advisers mentioned that independent thinking is one point that a majority of students struggle with today. I'm not sure if he was speaking of a national or city-wide statistic, but in either case, I think you can agree with this issue. The support many students get is a type of hand holding rather than a safety net. Without an open forum for thinking through problems I see little hope for change given the present dilemma. Yes, the tasks we test for are necessary building blocks for life--reading something for information, writing a convincing argument, etc. How do we make the tasks more substantial? Especially, or perhaps necessarily at test prep time. Throughout the year many students participate in things that engage them, but how do we get this engagement from the populations we work with which have been explicitly cited as failures for years?
It seems that students are not allowed a space where failure is okay. Creativity is at the root of the problem of independent thinking. It seems that it is no longer required. Yes, schools are praised for walls covered with chart paper and things of that sort, but not in the news. Failing is all that is talked about in the news and across the media outlets. The picture that this paints is that is it not okay to fail, and if you fail you do not deserve better. What is creative about the way education is handled in New York?
I recently found out a student of mine joined a gang. Nothing new in New York, but the first time I've dealt with this personally. Regardless of my feelings on his decision, his choice makes it very clear he feels that he has few other options if any. "What else am I going to do?" was his response when I asked him what he was thinking. How do we begin to relate to individuals who see so few options laid out in front of them.
The same student mentioned above has been having a hard time with teachers lately. He rarely gives me trouble and has been sent to my office to cool off because honestly I don't get riled up by him. Unless he says something explicitly demeaning about a fellow classmate or one of my coworkers he's free to swear and huff to his hearts content. It usually doesn't last long at all once there is no one around to be bothered by his performance. At one point, I asked him quite frankly what is his issue with school. To my surprise, he said (and I'm paraphrasing) he was intimidated by the work. No student has ever explicitly told me the reason they act out is because then they don't seem like their dumb. Not that he said he was dumb, or I'm trying to imply that with what I'm saying. For him to be so honest and up front states quite the opposite. Still he has no point of access and is so traumatized by his experience that he has given up looking for one. He'll be 16 in a little over a year and is waiting to drop out (he's in the eighth grade presently).
I know for any strengths I may have as a teacher I have a dozen faults to go with them, but what if anything is the immediate response to things like this. So much of my way of thinking involves getting kids in the sixth grade and seeing them graduate in a less restrictive environment, if not decertified, with a tool box they can carry with them for life. That time frame is not the reality we deal with day to day. The above mentioned student arrived at out school in October. I'm not willing to admit an issue of style here; however, it does make one think.
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