I was going back to my "China Diary" until I read a "stopped-in-my-tracks"
journal entry this past week from a student I'll call Sarah: "I've never
really had someone believing in me until your class. My whole life my parents
have always been negative towards me. Anytime I've told them what I wanted to
go out for in school or what I wanted for my goals in life or what I wanted to
do for a living my father ALWAYS had a comment 'You're not good enough' or
'You're not gonna be able to do that,' and my mother would ALWAYS say that
'You're not talented enough for this' or 'You're not smart enough for that.' I
never heard a positive and supportive and encouraging word from either of them.
My teachers never encouraged me. They always said and treated me, even
ignored me, like I was just average or plain and mediocre and not worth their
time and attention. I guess I started believing them and acting that way.
Even my boyfriend puts me down, and did it hard like I was nothing. No, I'll
take that back. I realize now because of those 'words for the day' of yours
that you write on the board each day, and our talk about for a few minutes in
class, and that "great job" you whispered to me after we sang, that I'm letting
him and everyone else put me down, including myself. No, more anymore. Like
you said, I have capability to be a GHPer [Georgia high school Governor's
Honors Program]. I'm finally realizing that my parents and all of them, and
even me, especially me, are so very wrong, and that I can do whatever I want as
long as I try my hardest. Oops, I meant DO whatever it takes ('there is no
try'--Yoda is right). Your class has helped me to open my own eyes to see this
because your eyes and heart somehow are on each of us. I never thought I was
creative, but I contributed a lot to the Dr. Seuss book. I never believed I
had any imagination, but I helped write a lot of the the lyric lines to the rap
song. I never thought I could even get up and talk in front of a group of
people, yet alone sing! But, I did it! I did do it! I did do it! And, I was
more than just okay. I was good and I felt so good and proud of myself
afterwards, especially after what you said to me, like I could do anything now.
I'm beginning to see in me what you saw first. I don't have to be a shy
follower. I can be a leader, but first as you told me I have to learn to lead
myself. Making learning so much fun, your passion for teaching, your caring
for each of us is so strong no matter what, inspires me to chase after my
dreams. I am now starting to believe there is absolutely nothing that can stop
me from catching them and making them real. I'm gonna fight harder than ever
to take advantage of anything new that comes my way. I know it won't be easy
breaking my old habits, but, like you said, I'm going to have to have the
courage to think and act 'baby' and 'bicycle.' And, like you wrote one day on
the board, 'no step on a great journey is small.' Sculpture project, here I
come. Who said I'm not an artist? Another step out from my enclosed box."
So, I'm so excited and expectant about what sculpture they'll come up with and
bring in after our silly Fall Break to teach each other. It's put me in such a
"Dr. Seuss-ish" mood. Am I getting ahead of the game? Should I wait until I
see their sculptures? I don't think so, not after Sarah's words. I've heard
their songs and read their lyrics; I've heard and read their Dr. Seuss books.
Now, as they prepare to sculpt, I've read their one page individual issue
papers; I've read their consensus community issue papers; I've read their daily
journal entries. In class, I've seen them exchange information, pour over the
textbook, talk with each other, read and re-read the project rules, peer at the
examples of earlier sculptures, write their issue papers, put their heads
together, make sketches, head off to the library, and arrange to go together to
buy stuff. And, to cap it off, was Sarah's journal entry. So, in confident
expectation, I just wrote a serious Dr. Seuss-like poem, more of an "Ode to
Sarah, that raises a lot of questions for so many of us academics about all
those Sarahs in our classrooms. Here goes:
WHEN YOU DARED TO DARE
Do you see? More than just a wee?
How wrong it is to say, "That's not me?"
Once you get out of the confusing maize
how much you can amaze?
You took the chance to break down your imprisoning wall
that is not small thing to do at all
Do you see? More than just a wee?
You have imagination;
And you used it by the ton;
You have imagination
And you had a lot of fun.
You have creativity;
And you used it more than just an itty-bitty;
WHEN....YOU....DARED....TO....DARE
Creativity! Imagination!
You let them both be found;
You let them both resound!
You gave yourself freedom
You felt your gleedom
WHEN....YOU....DARED....TO....DARE
You see
They're in you, you know.
You can find them--
You just have to go get 'em.
WHEN....YOU....DARE....TO....DARE
You did it!
you rode high!
you rode up in the sky!
You did soar!
on glorious clouds galore
up there you found magical things;
up there you got on and flew high on your creative wings.
WHEN....YOU....DARED...TO....DARE
You entered a new world
as your confidence unfurled.
You saw new sights
from those soaring fearless heights.
You were brave
and it changed how you behave
You are in new lands
when you just take things into your hands,
WHEN....YOU....DARED....TO....DARE
Oh, yes
You sweared;
you strained;
but you gained
Oh, yes
You sneered;
you veered;
but then you cheered
Oh, yes
You fretted;
you sweated;
but how you did get it
Oh, yes
You did fight it
But you got excited
And how you got delighted
Oh, yes
Now you know
You're not just so, so
You can go whenever and wherever you want to go
WHEN....YOU....DARE....TO....DARE
Did you see,
your faces lit up with glee
Your hearts felt the delights
at the wonderful sights
WHEN....YOU....DARE....TO....DARE
Each of you out there
Each....of....you!!
Each of you is more than just fair.
Each of you can get there
You silence the Grinch of don't and won't and can't
WHEN....YOU....DARE....TO....DARE
This poem got me to ask a lot of questions I would ask of us academics:
Do we really believe students can be trusted to learn on their own?
Do we really engage in a control system whose motto is, "If we didn't, the
student wouldn't."
Do we really allow students to decide, become involved, and get excited?
Do we really give students responsibility to decide, to be involved, to
question, to think?
Do we really believe that grading is what an education is about and education
really about grading?
Do we really know, really know, who is in the classroom with us?
Do we really, really, have an acute awareness and deep of sense of otherness in
the classroom?
Do we really believe we are in the service of each student?
Do we really believe the classroom has a higher calling that the lab or archive?
Do we really believe that command and just "do as I say" get better results
than persuasion and purpose?
Do we really believe that dictated lecture is teaching?
Do we really believe that note-taking, test cramming, paper writing, and test
taking are what learning is all about?
Do we really believe that the student really deeply and lastingly learns what
is lectured.
Do we really believe that what we cover in a term creates a real "mastery of
the subject?"
Do we see ourselves as only intellectual and information masons building a wall
of knowledge, content brick by content brick by content brick by content brick?
Do we really think that standardization encourages the development of
individual traits?
Do we really think that a grade or GPA, or a graduation, equates to being
educated?
Do we really think that a grade or GPA or recognition predicts how a student
will fare in the future?
Before we answer, I've got another series of questions that might give us pause:
How do engaged, creative, and imaginative people come from passive learners?
How do imaginative and independent problem perceivers evolve from fearful and
submissive "what do you want" solvers of our own problems with our own answers?
How do manipulated classroom objects come out of the academic cocoon as
respected and respectful self-directed individuals?
How do memorizers develop into independent thinkers?
How do students trained to conform and converge emerge with the courage to
diverge?
How does imposed conformity encourage individual thought, action, and
expression?
How do controlled passers of tests and getters of grades metamorphose into
independent and adventurous discoverers?
How does mere information transmission and stuffing transform into character,
values, morality, ethics, principles, and conscience?
How does grade getting materialize into kindness, fairness, dignity, respect,
and integrity?
How does isolated "I don't want to depend on anyone" morph into a higher sense
of service to others, to community and to humanity?
Make it a good day.
-Louis-
Louis Schmier
http://www.therandomthoughts.edublogs.org
Department of History http://www.therandomthoughts.com
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia 31698 /\ /\ /\ /\
/\
(O) 229-333-5947 /^\\/ \/ \ /\/\__ / \ /
\
(C) 229-630-0821 / \/ \_ \/ / \/ /\/ / \
/\ \
//\/\/ /\ \__/__/_/\_\/ \_/__\ \
/\"If you want to climb mountains,\ /\
_ / \ don't practice on mole hills" - / \_
---
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