Engines of Education (Part 2) Paving the Gaps

Paving the Gaps

Education is seeing the gaps and helping students find the answers without judgement. It’s like helping a lost child- you do not ask why they are lost you help them find their parents. Your immediate response to a child in need is to step in and help. You solve the problem without a second thought. When students are lost or bored in our classroom, for any reason, not necessarily anything we have done or are not doing, we must have a tolerance for their misbehavior. Because it is going to happen. Change causes uncertainty and thus severance. We as educators will lose the attention of students, what is important is that we have a plan b, we have a way to find them once they wander off.

Interruption does not necessarily mean confusion or distraction it often means perplexity, and this leads to curiosity. When we are curious, we are focused and engaged. Disagreeable even. But, with disobliging comes questioning for teachers and for students. If students are to be realigned with the lesson, lured back into the activity- we have to know there will be a little disruption or rumbling of the seats. The disagreeable and distracted will leave their mark- maybe even lure others to their corner. This is inevitable, but if we join their cause (boredom and re-engagement) we can rally the troops. Look them in the eye and admit, we ventured off course, I am sorry, here is a road map, let's all meet up at the next rest stop.

Disagreeable students will not just nod and smile- they will challenge us. They are not compliant. They are not so loyal that they turn a blind eye to our short comings. They will point out our mistakes. While many educators, truly dislike being, criticized by students, it is a necessary step towards their independence – we just need to teach them how to do so with respect and kindness. When we have a tolerance for feedback, good or bad, we learn not to take everything so personally. When things are broken, we do not need to toss them out- we simply need to re-purpose and they often will provide the most amazing insights. When we accept the cracks, look the dents and dings head on- we may be able to salvage. Why buy a new car because the old one has a few scratches? But it the front in is smashed and the frame is damaged- it is a good time to visit a car lot. We, want our students to become more understanding, self-aware and growth oriented. When we have patience for misfits and rebels, peers and students alike, we gain a willingness to be critical of our originality, we see the holes in our thought processes, we often putty up to avoid. In other words, we know when we need new wheels.

Every misstep does not weaken us as educators. A famous saying goes "The fall from low is easy, almost painless." If we refuse to grow, we will stay in this position. Failure will never be an option. "A fall from the middle can be devastating-" if it crumbles self-confidence and self-esteem. But the precipice of teaching is neither, it is high, it is visible to many and we must be willing to slide down the side when needed, so that we can climb back up. Each time we do- we notice what others are doing, we must slow to get our footing, and this lets us see things from a different perspective. We begin to see every rock, every groove we place our feet and hands upon, and this makes us see the vulnerability of our jobs. We are just that- vulnerable. We are exposed and we need to let our students see this. This does not make us weak or powerless, in fact, it is the opposite- it makes us human.

We need to switch from me focused to mission focused. We need to stay vulnerable because this keeps us aware. We need to be unique, innovative, and willing to take risks, but we also need to be practical. We need to provide a diversity of experiences- this exposure fosters in our students’ creativity. When we diversify our knowledge base, we are more likely to sample original ideas, use strategies we might be uncomfortable with. If we can retrieve unconventional methods and put them into our classroom then we can disrupt learning- ours and our students. Lessons and strategies do not create value, students do. If they embrace them, then they will become valuable to them. This is priceless. No one can replicate it. But it often comes from a tinkering, re-purposing, engineering of past successes and above all else, past failures. When students find learning valuable, when they embrace strategies like they were their own, then they become solidified into their schema. They will find them useful and will continue to utilize them throughout their lives.

Influence and Prestige

We as teachers have influence and prestige, earned from our years of education and experience. It may be faint in some districts and prominent in others, but it is there. We are often in the public seen as  glorified babysitters but in reality, when you take a deeper look, we do have both of these because what we do is misunderstood and it gives us a little street cred.

Influence and prestige are not our right nor are they easily gifted. But you need both to have any form of authority and earn any level of respect. To exert influence without respect and admiration of your peers can be isolating. But once prestige is achieved, through successful teaching practices and collaboration, rocking the boat is much more acceptable and even accepted. We are expected to stir the pot, make waves towards progress but if we ourselves are not on solid ground, where recognition for advancement and progress is absent, then we are doomed to enter rough seas. Prestige can’t be claimed though, it must be earned. Sometimes it is rewarded to a first-year teacher who does extraordinary pedagogy, while for others it never surfaces. We acquire and are reminded of our prestige mainly through networking with other educators- educators award prestige. The influence however, generally emerges from with one's school, district and from parents and students.

The only way to be granted influence and prestige, not authority necessarily but respect and admiration = influence, is to become a part of the system. Then one can change it from within. We can double-cross it, make it believe we are worthy, then we will not have to coerce it, only nudge it into an upgrade. We need to build a network of rebels. To buck convention, you need an army of forward-thinkers. This is when the establishment will budge, and progress will ensure. Words are not enough. Writing about change is not enough. For some marching in the streets is not the way, rallying is too scary, but classroom disruption is doable. Disrupt the normalcy of classroom routines, just a little, rethink lessons, step back and let some of the ‘influence’ be handed over to students and the small quakes will become rumbles and change will slowly erupt. This change can come in many forms- as Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

We can not favor the comfort of consensus, we must actively, operative word here, actively seek the discomfort of dissent. In ourselves and other educators but also with our students. It is hard to let go of one’s authority and let others lead, especially when they are our students. But this is what keeps us relatable, current and growth-oriented and above all else, open-minded. Placing trust in our students should be easy, yet for some it is a challenge. We believe in them, why don’t we place our trust in them unequivocally? How can we do this, place our role in the background and let students take center-stage? Begin with novelty then add familiarity. Have routine, but then a little unpredictability; this is where curiosity and ingenuity come to the surface.

Part Three of Engines of Education will be about this disruption- using intuition and reason to design a student-centered classroom. But more importantly- giving students the opportunity to use their intuition and reason to guide their own learning.