Before I dive into this weighty and very important topic I will announce now that the first week of my vlogging project is complete. Please come by and take a look at The Daily Lesson. Be sure and hit the thumbs up so it becomes easier for other teachers to find this information. Also If you want to know when I post and have access to the future "Teacher's Lounge" be sure and subscribe.
I posted a video that prompted some private discussion about the adversarial relationships in the education system; student and teacher, teacher and parents, teacher and administration. Here is an essay I wrote on the same topic. I hope it helps shed some light on what I consider to be one of the biggest problems facing education today.
How often do we hear things like,”Students in public education are different than they were when I was in school. They are disrespectful. They simply will not follow directives. They treat teachers and other adults with disdain. ”
Why would students behave in any other way when from their earliest memory they are taught that adults and youth live in different worlds? They are taught there should be a minimal overlap of an adult life with a child’s life and if there is it will either be awkward and stilted or worse, inappropriate and wrong. Take a long look at how adult/youth relationships are portrayed in cartoons, sitcoms, movies, books and the news. How often are healthy parent/child, teacher/student relationships portrayed or covered by the media?
The growing divide between “Us and Them” as it pertains to students and teachers is a major issue facing education today it perpetuates a society of lost individuals unable to maintain intergenerational relationships and thus fragmenting society. Society has lost sight of the fact that we share one journey. Some of us are just further down the road than others, but it is the same journey. Sadly, in most media and in the actions of most people, the message has become one of many roads and many journeys. To compound the problem, the prevailing view is that these “many journeys” take place isolated from all others. Life is life regardless of age or experience. And until society embraces the fact that the journey of life is a shared adventure we will remain splintered and unable to unite with common goals and objectives.
It is not uncommon to hear teachers say thing like, “I don’t want to see my students outside of the school building.” For some this desire is so strong that they deliberately take positions that minimize the likelihood of that occurring. Interestingly enough I have never seen an encounter between a student and teacher in public where the student was reluctant to say hello or engage in conversation. In fact, the opposite is true. There is a unique level of joy on a student's face that is difficult to match when they see one of their teachers outside of the school setting and that teacher validates their shared connection.
When teachers engage in active separation and isolation from their student’s lives the “Us vs. Them” mentality flourishes. Teachers are part of a team. The team consists of parents/guardians with their students and the teachers. All aspects of this team must communicate and work towards the mutual goal of student success, or students will not reach their full potential. They will grow up severing contact with those who could help achieve simply because of an age difference.
The symptoms of this divide are evident in almost every conversation with, request of, or reaction from students. There has always been an acknowledged generation gap and real differences between the generations, but these differences should not become a barrier.
In My next post, I will give a point of view that I feel can cure this issue.
I enjoy learning and teaching with you, and together we can take over the world.
Chris
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