The Great Educator

It is becoming more and more difficult to ‘reach’ kids and to teach kids.  It’s not the fault of the student, the parent, the community, or society.  I believe we all play a part in the education of students and we all play a role in the success or failure, but generally there is not one person to blame.  It cannot be a blame game as in the story of Puff who had all the magic.  Blaming got them stuck in state of unsuccessful stagnation.

Our children are products of commercialization.  This poses problems for our teachers, but it can also serve as a tool.  Everywhere our students go, they are bombarded with various types of advertising to partake in a product.  It could range from a telephone service to chewing gum.  They see it in bathroom stalls, on the sides of buses, in the hallways, on tv, at any sporting event they attend, the list could go on and on.  As Giroux pointed out in his article, we are no longer promoting a democracy of citizens, but a democracy of consumers.  But as educators and schools, we will do almost anything for these companies just to get a little assistance in our underfunded institutions.  Don’t want to buy book covers?  Well, I bet there is a company that will sponsor as long as their product is splashed across the front.  Need additional curriculum to address electricity in you science classes?  There is a local electric co-op that would love to help you as long as you add their logo to your curriculum.  These companies have professionals that make their materials more exciting and stimulating, appealing to our kids.  One positive aspect of commercial involvement is that we can learn…learn from their success.  Teachers should take ideas of what gets kids excited and engaged and incorporate those strategies into their lessons.  We live in a different era; all educational stakeholders must embrace that, rather than avoid it.  We will leave our workplace less frustrated, tired, and drained, all the while mumbling “those darn kids!”  It is not our kids, its our society.

Saying all of that, I believe we must focus on creating and stimulating citizens, rather than consumers.  Promotion of choice, involvement, and participation is fundamental. Integrating these skills in lessons is not easy, but with practice it can become routine.  Mr. Giroux mentioned in his interview that our society rewards those that embrace cookie-cutter curriculums, but we all know all of our children are not formed out of the same mold!  How can educators combat this ideal that has been forced in our schools?  I believe teachers must teach what is required and expected, but adapt based on the student and community needs.  In their spare time (ha!), teachers can actively promote and support reform for our schools.

I recently shared an article with my staff that described the work day of a CEO in a multi-billion dollar corporation.  His day was grueling and the success of this company hung on his minute by minute decision-making and democratic formation of his company.  The interviewer asked him to take a local standardized mathematics test that the 5^th graders would be facing that year.  Guess what….he failed the exam!  Success is not measured by a test and all of our students will not measure the same at the end of the day, but each has a talent.  It should be our goal to uncover those talents and guide these students to a path that will prepare them for society…not a test.  I enjoyed Giroux’s point that the tests we are administering are fit to measure the height of trees, not the measure of a child.