that was largely my experience this week. I lost my voice over the previous weekend, was on medication and orders to rest my voice. But I needed to keep my classes moving forward.
I arranged for a microphone and loudspeaker, into which I could whisper, but even that I had to minimize to avoid strain.
I had to replan lessons to allow for even more student talk than usual.
In my AP classes, where the students are used to taking responsibility for the discussions, it worked fairly well.
In my non-Ap classes, it was more difficult. Too many of the students are still, even after 2/3 of a school year with me, somewhat passive about their learning, waiting for information to be given to them.
It is that passivity that is the basis of this Saturday morning reflection on teaching, in what increasingly looks like my last year in the classroom, or at least in this school.
I invite you to keep reading.
I've talked with other teachers in our building, and exchanged messages with other teachers around the country. One sad effect of No Child Left Behind has been a narrowing of student learning. Many students arrive at our school without meaningful social studies and little real science. Too much of their educational experience through Middle School has been a focus on improving test scores, for tests now exclusively multiple choice. They don't have to LEARN the content, they just have to be able to recognize it - something very reductive of real learning. Further, the way they are being assessed reduces their experience of real interaction with the material in a way that can really inflame minds, ignite passionate interests.
A teacher-talk centered classroom exacerbates these problems. I know that. Now that there is no high-stakes test from the state in government, I do not have to feel obligated to ensure that students learn testable content (although that is still very much of an imperative for AP Government, where most of the students will sit for the AP exam in May).
Increasingly I find I am less interested in teaching content, and more concerned about having students learn how to think, organize, learn on their own.
I have spent the better part of a week on exercises of metacognition, of forming questions, of exploring meaningful learning experiences, with my AP students. I have done that in the past.
I realize that I owe the same experience to my non-AP students. Fortunately, I am far enough ahead in "covering" the material that I can afford to take a few days to do that.
It will take much longer for me to set this up for those kids, who are not as used to the kind of challenges this will present. But there is no reason not to give them the experience.
Yes, given that this MAY be my last year in this classroom (or a classroom of any kind) I find myself strangely liberated, far more willing to take risks that have a high possibility of completely failing. I hope that at least for a few of the students it will connect, and then maybe they can be agents of influence with the other students, who will then be curious.
The carrot I can offer is that if they take it seriously it cannot help but raise their averages - unfortunately too many are still motivated by grades.
It also provides me an opportunity to step back and really try out different approaches.
Part of why I am inclined to leave the classroom is that the flexibility to experiment is becoming ever more rare - the impositions from district, state and the national Department of Education are pushing education too much in one, narrow direction. I will explore what this means at another time. For now my immediate concern is how I can equip my students to survive this narrowing of what should be a far broader approach to their education, so that they are better equipped for life outside of K-12 schools, including in business and the military as well as in institutions of higher education.
Let me return to my title.
Teaching needs to be about far more than teacher talk.
In a sense, not being able to talk as much as I otherwise might forced me to create more space for students, whether their talk or even silence.
it required me to communicate with other than words - as it happens, I have a wide range of facial expressions, some of which led to some VERY INTERESTING student commentary, which also included their recognizing the importance of watching faces and body language of people with whom they are interacting.
It meant giving up a certain amount of control, and trusting the students to step up. That was not always as successful as I might want it to be, but in part that is because they don't have as much experience with control as they should, certainly by middle to late adolescence.
My voice, although somewhat hoarse, is almost completely back.
Next week I will not HAVE to whisper, or be silent.
Yet I think I will try to continue to be as silent as i can, as a means of encouraging students to be more responsible for their own learning.
When I coached soccer, one thing I worked very hard on was having the players learn to take charge of themselves on the field, to let their captains make many of the major decisions, and not dictate from the sidelines.
I think I need to apply that same principle as broadly as possible within the classroom.
And within the school. I have now stepped down from any role of union leadership in the building. Knowing i may well not be back next year, I have stepped back to let others step up, while I am still around for counsel IF they want it. Two younger teachers, both National Board Certified, are now sharing the leadership within the building. Any teacher or mentor or coach should look forward to the time when those s/he has counseled/taught/coached can step up and operate without the direction previously required.
About 1/3 of the year is left.
Whether or not it is my final year, I plan to continue to let go of the reins as much as I can.
I can think of no greater lesson I can offer.
Peace.