I was told at the beginning of
my teaching career that an educator is only as good as he or she steals. I like
to think of it now as community collaboration. Feel free to collaborate with me
any time you want. Just remember to give credit where credit is due. As our
class mantra went for my final year in the public classroom, “Own it.” If it’s
not yours, cite it.
Today I am stealing a list from
Roxanna Elden’s book See Me After Class:
Advice for Teachers by Teachers. It is entitled “Ten Principles of
Successful Living We All Hope Students Learn from Us.” A long title but worth
the read. Last term I shared it with a few sections of composition students as
a writing prompt, and the ensuing discussion (not necessarily about composing)
was somewhat enlightening for all parties involved. So…I am going to share them
here and probably discuss one or two of them over the next little while, adding
my own two or three cents worth of insight or hindsight or sight beyond sight
for whatever it is worth.
First, here is the list:
Ten Principles of Successful Living We All
Hope Students Learn from Us
1.
Be where you’re supposed to be, on time and
prepared.
2.
Follow all steps of directions.
3.
Think for yourself, and do the right thing
even when no one is watching.
4.
Think about the future and how your present
actions affect it.
5.
Take responsibility for your decisions.
6.
Search for solutions instead of complaining
about problems.
7.
Show respect and expect respect back.
8.
Present yourself as an intelligent person.
9.
Produce a finished product that won’t need any
explaining.
10.
Put more into the world than you take out.
Now that you have the entire list, I think I am going to
break these down one point at a time with examples and non-examples of
students, colleagues, friends, and many people generally winning (or not) at
life.
Warning:
most of this will probably have an educational slant to it, but I guess that’s
what I do, right?
Let’s
begin. Somewhat disjointed rant numero uno:
1. Be where you’re supposed to be, on time and
prepared.
Students need to be
in class—on time and on task. Attendance breeds opportunities to
learn. If not present, the same opportunities are not available. Yes, you can gain
information and knowledge through self-study or observation or reading;
however, an absent student misses discussions and social connections—critical
elements of constructing meaning and learning. (See Dewey, Vygotsky, Bruner,
Piaget, etc.) The interaction and application of said acquired knowledge cannot
be replicated in the same way when a student is absent either physically or
mentally.
I
have a student (at the university) who never attends class. He submits work
online, but he is prone to all the pitfalls students who attend class avoid
because we work together to succeed at the assignments and the learning. He,
unfortunately, has chosen to shun the class and attempt everything on his own.
Now, he is smart, but he does not know everything. Besides missing the
attendance/participation part of his grade, me misses what we struggle through
collectively as a class. He misses the comradery and collaborative community
that we construct. He is not present to receive advice or encouragement from me
or from his classmates, and it takes longer for him to catch up to where we
are.
Granted,
the Fitness for Life class I took my sophomore year at Ricks College was
different. The academic environment geared itself toward individual learning
and testing. It was not a collaborative environment at all. To earn my grade, I
just had to read the textbook and show up at the track when we ran the mile and
at the testing center on occasion. The lecture had nothing to do with the grade
or the learning. It was simply a lecture. (I got a B+ and only went to class
three times that semester.) However, I believe this type of education is on its
way out the door, especially in public schools. This is now the exception and
not the rule.
Online education has its place,
but it is an alternative to meet the needs of self-motivated learners. I have taught
online courses both at the high school and the university level, and I will only
say that these deliveries are not for everyone. If a student cannot motivate
himself in an isolated setting, it will not go well for him. Even in these
digital environments, interaction with an instructor and classmates increases
and augments the learning. I will say it once more: you can only get so far in
educating yourself.
Showing
up physically can only get you so far, though. You must be mentally present as
well. Teachers know all too well that a student will never learn how to
implement the quadratic equation or correct grammar in her writing if she is
thinking about the cure boy sitting in front of her, or the drama call-backs
after school, or the zit on her chin, or whether or not her dad will ever come
back.
There
are so many possible distractions these days, especially with smartphones in
almost every pocket. And I could rant on, but I digress for sake of your time and sanity. I also do not need to air all my laundry regarding student attendance. Regardless of the delivery method, the course, or the peers
involved, attendance is mandatory for maximum learning.
Stay tuned for the next installment. It may come sooner
than you think.
