A friend of mine was talking to one of her friends who is a teacher. This teacher complained that her students are, "lazy and stupid, and they don't care". She went on to say that she doesn't really care either. She hates the job, but for whatever reason, has decided to stick with it. I find this to be profoundly disturbing. Teaching is not a job for those who face challenging students with apathy. We should work as not only messengers delivering textbook contents to our students, but also as mentors providing academic training, and transferable life skills. There is a teacher surplus in this province, and if one is a teacher in job title alone, then perhaps he or she should consider a change of careers and make way for those of us who actually want to teach.
I do not have the good fortune to be on an occasional teacher list because of the surplus, but for the past two years, during month of July, I have had the opportunity to teach summer school. My students come to summer school for a variety of reasons. Some are there to make up the credit; some are transitioning from the English as a Second Language stream; some are upgrading. Many of them are there because an educator who does not really care to be at the front of a classroom has dismissed them as lazy, stupid, and careless. In the five weeks that we have together, I have to motivate them, make them aware of their ability to learn, and show them that when they demonstrate a responsible and caring attitude, that they exceed their own expectations. This is not done in some surreptitious way, where I present them content in which a young person struggles to overcome their social circumstances and succeed and hope they get the point (although Robert Lipsyte's The Contender does provide that content). This is accomplished through patient, persistent encouragement and firm, consistent discipline.
At the beginning of the term, I give the students a talk to let them know that no matter what brought them to my summer school classroom, they are all there for the same reason: to earn their credit. The emphasis is on the word earn. Everyone gets a fresh start. You will get out of this course what you put into it. If you don't try, of course you won't be successful. But if you put in the necessary effort, and if you always produce your best work, then you're going to do well. It's up to you what happens here. Make good decisions.
Yes, there are students who try and avoid doing their work, and yes, there are some who need to have the concepts re-explained in several different ways. But they are by no means lazy or stupid. The ones who try to avoid working are the ones who expect that they will be written off as lazy and careless. My EA and I spend so much time giving pep talks to students who feel like they are incapable of doing anything because they have been dismissed as hopeless cases, and they are convinced that nobody cares anyway. Nobody cares, and nobody holds them accountable. That changes in my classroom. It has to.
Make good decisions -- that has become my catch phrase. And when a poor decision is made, there are consequences to be faced as well as a reminder: "That is the decision that you made. This is an opportunity to make a better one."
Last week when my class was analyzing news articles, the content provoked one of my students to ask for advice. I was equipped to answer his question, and after our conversation, he thanked me for talking to him and apologized for prompting what could have been an awkward conversation. I told him not to apologize because, "I care about all of my students, and I would like you to have the facts that you need to be able to make informed decisions."
His reply was, "For real, miss?"
"Yes."
He looked stunned, "No shit? I mean, no fooling?" He apologized for his inappropriate classroom language and continued, "No teacher's ever said that before... I didn't know that. I thought teachers just don't care."
"I care," I said. I do. I'm not a title-only teacher; I'm a teacher right down to my heart and soul. I'm not there just to fire definitions and analytical techniques at them. I'm there to help them on their journey to becoming the best people that they can be -- to help them discover that they have dignity, importance, and worth. That is what my best teachers instilled in me as a student, regardless of how poor my grades were. They never wrote me off. I found it heartbreaking and disturbing that this young man has not received that kind of support. I just said, "Yes, I care. I know that we only get five weeks to work together, and that odds are that we're not going to see each other again, but if we do meet again someday, it would be really great to know that you feel like you are successful and happy."
This is the "implicit curriculum", that is so often mentioned in teachers college. These are the life skills that accompany the academics. Each student must learn: you are capable, you can be responsible, you are accountable, and you can put in the necessary effort to produce the results that you want to see.
These are not the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed musings of a possibly inexperienced teacher; these are my core beliefs about my vocation, and the very reason why people who are in it for the summers off need to step aside and make room for those of us who genuinely care. Yes, it is difficult to give all students the support that they deserve, and there will be those who slip through the cracks, but hopefully not one of those students will feel like they are not worth anybody’s time and attention.
My students are all capable. They can be responsible. The can be held accountable. They can put in the necessary effort to produce their desired results.
They need the support of educators who believe that too. Teachers are in a position to help correct and change undesirable behaviours. We have the privilege of training, guiding, and supporting the future leaders of the world. We are in the business of caring.
