Well, my "grrrrrrrrr" has generated a lot of discussion that has
threatened to
send my computer on overload and wear my typing fingers down to the proverbial
bone. It
has ranged from a "go, Louis" to accusations of being "controlling,"
"regressive,"
"patriarchic," "uncaring," and "getting into students' lives." It has ranged
from
agreeing with limiting student withdraw--except under truly extenuating
circumstances--to
no more than a week at the beginning of the term without consequence to
defending
institutional policies of allowing students to withdraw freely, explanations
not needed,
from classes up to the last day of the term with no more than a meaningless "W."
Interesting spectrum of responses.
I admitted to one particular group of academics that the description of
my
response to students who wanted to drop a course at mid-term was laced with
some hyperbole
and poetic license to emphasize my attitude and hammer home my point. I am
always readily
available; for this purpose, I just don't go out of my way to be available way,
way beyond
office hours as I normally do. And though I am firm in my response to such
student
requests, I don't express my feelings in fits of anger, but a heavy heart. I
still
believe in and love that student; I just don't support his or her decision, and
I make
sure he or she knows it. But, I still won't sign the drop forms as my little
sign of
protest against what I feel is a regressive policy. And, to explain the reason
for the
heavy heart, I told these academics the story of the 12 spies going into Canaan.
Do you know who Caleb is? I like Caleb. He's my kind of guy. He's a
"wow" guy.
His name means "bold, determined." I think he's just may be one of the unsung
heroes of
Scripture. He is the leader of the tribe of Judah, the largest of the 12
tribes. He's
also one of the 12 spies who were sent by Moses to scope out the land of
Canaan. When the
spies returned from their recon patrol of forty days, they were carrying huge
clusters of
grapes. Ten of the spies, however, were frightened by what it would take to
reap the
fruits of the land. They came back with tales of horror. What they saw had
terrified
them. They talked of giants. The cities were large and heavily fortified. If
the
Hebrews entered Canaan, the ten spies warned, they'd be defeated. The ten
spies had no
confidence that the Hebrews would have what it would take to take over Canaan;
or, that
they wouldn't want to do what it would take. In any event, they revealed how
shaky their
faith was. "Moses, don't go there. It's too dangerous. We can't do it.
Let's drop this
idea. Let's withdraw."
But, the other two spies, Caleb and Joshua, stood firm. They saw the
same
"giants." They saw the same thickly walled cities. They saw the fruit of the
land.
They saw the potential of the land. They believed in themselves and in their
people, and
confident knew that the Hebrews could do whatever it would take to take over
Canaan. And,
they reveal how firm their faith was. "Moses, look at the size of these
grapes! Man, we
can do it. Bring them on. We'll be protected. Let's go conquer this land,"
they argued.
But, it was the banks of the Red Sea and the foot of Mt. Sinai all over
again.
Fear prevailed. Disbelief dominated. The people balked. Their faith waned.
God was not
a happy camper. The Hebrews did not enter the Promised Land. They wandered
once again.
The ten fearful spies died off with all in that faltering generation. Their
names are not
worth remembering But, two of that generation survived. We know who they
are: Joshua
and Caleb. Of Caleb, God said, "But because my servant Caleb has a different
spirit and
follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his
descendants
will inherit it" He and Joshua were the only ones of those who had left Egypt
who would
enter the promised land.
Now, are we academics to be among the ten spies who allow students to
falter, drop
courses, and withdraw? Or, are we to be Calebs, telling students to stand
firm? I know,
for I have seen time and time and time again, there's a Caleb in each student.
So many
students don't know that; they don't believe that. For a host of reasons, they
act like
they're one of the Hebrews of that disbelieving generation preferring to
believe the tem
spies rather than Caleb and Joshua. Like the Hebrews, the students so often
let their
disbelief, lack of self-confidence, fear, and/or angst prevail. So, they, like
the
Hebrews, want to drop and withdraw at the drop of a challenging hat. And, so
many of us
let them. Now, a lot of us academics let the students make that unguided
decision in the
noble name of "freedom." A lot of academics want to be disengaged and allow
students to
take the easy path in the sacred name of "progressivism." A lot of academics
want to
condemn as "regressive" and "patriarchical" and "controlling" and "getting into
students'
lives" positions that hold the students' feet to the fire of commitment and
have them
stand firm in the face of challenge. And, too many academics merely want to be
the guide
on the side or the sage on stage only when it comes to their discipline and the
development of intellectual skills.
We all have to remember, by virtue of our positions, like it or not,
that we all
get into student lives. Our choice is that we can be as one of the ten spies
or as a
Caleb and Joshua. If we be as one of the spies, through policy, words, and
actions--or
inactions--we'll be condoning students' lack of faith in themselves, their lack
of
confidence, and their willingness seek out the mythical risk-free,
unchallenging yellow
brick road lined with guarantees. Or, as a modern day Caleb may, we can read
from Dr
Seuss' IF I RAN A ZOO: "If you want to catch beasts you don't see everyday, you
have to go
out-of-the-way. You have to go places no others can get to. You have to get
cold, and you
have to get wet, too." I think it was Charles De Gaul who said something to
the effect
that it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that a person can realize
his or her
potential. By allowing students to drop courses at the flick of the hand at
mid term or
farther on into the course with the only justification being fear of getting a
lower grade
or facing a harder challenge or not being comfortable or not wanting to be
inconvenienced,
then, we do them no service. As the Hebrews at the border of Canaan
demonstrated, the art
of dropping a course isn't difficult to master, but it isn't exactly character
building,
and it sure won't get anyone the fruit and honey.
As for me, I prefer "getting into their lives" as a Caleb rather than
as one of
the wimpy spies. I'm not going to back off. I'm going to help students open
themselves
to and embrace challenge, and realize that it is their best friend. I'm going
to help
students face life instead of hiding or running from it. I'm going to help
students help
themselves get out of their "so-so zone" and into their own "wow zone," and
stay there.
I'm going to help them build up their resistance to the temptations to be lazy,
to be
easily distraction, to take the easy way, to take the risk free path. I'm
going to help
them acquire a great vision for their lives, enroll in the challenge, and
strive to
achieve what they and nobody ever expected. I'm going to help them have high
expectations
for themselves, set their aims high, commit to them, and move forward. I'm
going to help
them raise their own bar by challenging and confronting their own shallow
standards, by
committing themselves to excellence and walking away from mediocrity. I'm
going to help
them set new standards by moving from the ho-hum of the ordinary to the wow of
the
extraordinary. I'm going to help them acquire a "bounce backability" of that
proverbial
if at first they don't succeed they should keep on trying, trying, trying,
trying again. I
am going to help them help themselves acquire and hone their thinking skills,
their
emotional skills, their spiritual skills, their community skills, communication
skills,
and their people skills.
I'm going to live my academic life struggling to convince students that
they have
it within them to do better than they believe they can, to help them find that
"different
spirit" that dwells sometime hidden and latent within them, and to help them
help
themselves to draw on its power so that throughout their lives rather than
being one of
the anonymous spies to themselves, rather than wander about outside the land of
milk and
honey, they'll say confidently, like Caleb, "I can do this. Bring it on.
Let's go. Give
me this mountain."
Make it a good day.
--Louis--
Louis Schmier www.therandomthoughts.com
Department of History www.halcyon.com/arborhts/louis.html
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia 31698 /\ /\ /\ /\
(229-333-5947) /^\\/ \/ \ /\/\____/\ \/\
/ \ \__ \/ /
\ /\/
\ \ /\
//\/\/ /\ \_ /
/___\/\ \ \
\/ \
/\"If you want to climb
mountains \ /\
_/ \ don't practice on mole
hills" -/
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