These chapters opened up an important idea to me that I leave behind or fail to honor at times. As courageous as educators must be, I believe I fail to honor how courageous it is to be a student. Every day, we are demanding that they take risks--to share their opinion, to share their faith in God, to share a practice Math answer, to run for student government, to ask for help in class, or seek us out after class. Sylvia Ashton-Warner's success came from her courage to teach creatively, which in turn inspired her students to be courageous in the learning process. My Algebra teacher could have ignored my reaction to the test, but he showed compassion. His compassion inspired me to seek him out for help for the rest of the semester; his courage helped me to be courageous.
In the readings, Maxine Greene encourages educators "to look at things as if they could be otherwise." As a Catholic educator, it is our mission to approach our students, our school community, and our world with this attitude. If we are truly shaping God's world, we must hold onto this hope that what we are doing fulfills a greater purpose than what can be immediately measured. When we lose track of this, we do become like the graduate's student father. I wonder what happened to him that made him that way. I wonder what has happened to the teachers and administrators who I have met over the years that are "stuck in time". I pray that I will have the self-awareness to know if that is happening to me.
Your thoughts on the courage of students ring true for me. The majority of my teaching has centered on legal writing. That class, as with any writing class, forces the student to lay bare their very essence, so to speak, in writing. Writing reveals. I think it took tremendous courage -- if not swallowing some pride -- to write, be critiqued and revise. Still, without that effort, no growth is possible for the student. Without the teacher recognizing that, no real instruction is possible.
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ReplyDeleteYour reflection smacked me right between the eyes! Thanks. Even though I am a student at the moment I still have forgotten the courage it takes to learn and be a student. To be evaluated and to place oneself vulnerable as a student takes a courage rarely noticed or celebrated. We've given a lot of time to the spirituality teachers but what is the spirituality we hope for in our students. No doubt that will shape how we teach and how we run schools!
ReplyDeleteI try to make a conscious effort to notice, nurture and promote the spirituality and courage within our students. Your post only served to solidify my commitment to this. I feel one of the first steps in this process is creating a safe classroom environment where kids can be free to express their spirituality without recourse.
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