Entry # 20: We cannot teach
what we will not do ourselves

Can we teach our students to become intellectually reflective people if we ourselves are not?

As I read the five characteristics of effective human beings in Chapter 2 of Turning Points 2000, I couldn't help but agree with the definition. The five characteristics are:

= An intellectually reflective person
= A person en route to a lifetime of meaningful work
= A good citizen
= A caring and ethical individual
= A healthy person

Ideally, if those of us in the middle school arena are doing our jobs well, we will be able to see those qualities in the students we teach by the time they are 15. I cannot help but agree with the ideal, but still the question nags.

Can we teach our students to become intellectually reflective people if we ourselves are not? Can we teach our students to become any of those other things if we fail to meet those standards in our own lives?

I don't think so.

My whole experience as a teacher leads me to the conclusion that we cannot teach what we cannot or will not do ourselves. We are models for our students, and if we do not model those behaviors ourselves, why should they value or embrace them? In fact, how will they even know those qualities exist?

Why don't we value teacher reflection?

Reflection is a pretty important skill regardless of the career one chooses. Reflection is just a fancy word for problem solving or for lifelong learning, and few people would argue with the connection between being an effective problem solver, continued training, and one's success in a career. Why then does there seem to be such an absence of value for teacher reflection in our society?

After all, the politicians have lists of skills and facts that they think we should teach so they can test. Textbook publishers and other education marketers have programs that if we follow and implement them, they guarantee our students will be successful. Just put in the CD-ROM, assign the related worksheets, grade, and you will turn out little geniuses.

At the NMSA convention I spent some time investigating other textbooks to see what else was out there. I was perusing a language and literature set that was little more than skill and drill when one of the sellers approached me and began gushing about the book. I was sorely disappointed when she introduced me to one of the people who oversaw the creation of the series only to find it was a highly respected person in the field of literacy.

Where is the reflection in all of that?

No program can replace the continued reflection and work of a classroom teacher. Until this year, I did not realize just how valuable putting my thoughts down on paper was. I have always believed I was reflective, have always looked for ways to solve problems in my classroom, but since I have kept this diary I have noticed a more pronounced focus on reflection.

Reflecting on Darren

For example, when Darren begins wandering around the room bothering other students, I am more likely to ask myself why he is doing that than I am to get angry and scold him. I pull him over, ask him if he understands the assignment, and then give him support. If he tells me he understands it, I ask him to explain what he has done so far. If he hits a stumbling block, I work with him to figure out what he can do.

In the old days I would have labeled him as a discipline problem who probably needed special education services. In fact, my first instinct was to do just that. However, with a little support and a little problem solving on my part, Darren is doing much better in my classroom. That is not to say he is always an angel (he is not) or he is suddenly making A's. He did earn a D second quarter instead of the F he got the first quarter, and he at least attempts everything where before he had shut down before he even entered the room.

My biggest concern is Darren's willingness to give up so easily. He is lacking any confidence in himself as a learner, and he masks that with constant talk about not wanting to do the work or how Student X is bothering him. In a rare moment of honesty he looked at me and said, "You know I'm just not as smart as the rest of them, don't you?" I wanted to cry.

I told him that smartness had nothing to do with anything, that he was able to get as smart as anyone else if he decided he wanted to and let his teachers help him. He disagreed with me, but I think I detected a bit of hope in his face. Since that conversation he has made a point of asking for my help before I offer it to him.

Where would Darren be if I never bothered to think about why he was acting the way he was? Probably in the middle of special education testing. I am the only dissenting opinion on my team right now, and I hope it is enough to give him a chance. I suspect that a special education placement would demolish an already shaky sense of confidence.

We must pursue the problem

We have to be diligent as teachers and principals to be proactive rather than reactive. We must ask the question Why?, whether in response to something positive or negative in our classrooms and schools, and then set our minds to solving the problem or replicating the success. Success comes in slow, well-planned steps, not in computer software or student discipline handbooks.

If I had given up on Darren, I would have provided him with a model that said I was not able -- and, therefore, he was not able -- to change any part of his future with what I had learned in school. How could I expect him then to take any positive action on his behalf?

So, can we teach our students to become intellectually reflective people if we ourselves are not?

I think we all know the answer.


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