Entry # 5: Missing desks, an unhappy parent
--
opening ourselves to others' "truths"
On Friday, after 14 long days of waiting, I finally got desks for my students.
Part of the grant money that funds our magnet project was used to purchase
new furniture for the four schools in the cluster. As is usual in most large
urban districts, the process of purchasing new equipment is lengthy and
full of red tape. My principal last year (who no longer works at my school)
picked out and filled out the order forms for the furniture she wanted in
September. The board of education finally approved the orders and sent them
in this past June or July. I got my desks on September 22.
All the classrooms in my building were in a similar predicament for seven
days. Our former principal had insisted that everyone else preferred tables,
but I had fought for and won the right to have flat-topped desks in my classroom
that could be pushed together to create tables or be moved apart for individual
work. (We all know that there are days when some students can't function
with the group.) The tables were delivered two weeks ago with no desks in
sight.
I was truly apprehensive about starting school without desks. In my mind
I envisioned angry parents blaming me for the lack of desks. Worse yet,
I dreamed up scenarios where children would be running crazy around the
room, out of order and defiant because Mrs. Berg had no desks. I thought
long and hard about what I could do to prevent these potential problems.
I decided upon three strategies. Before school started I purchased twenty-six
clipboards for my students to use as writing surfaces. It wasn't a perfect
solution, but it was a start. When my students arrived I made a big deal
out of the fact that we were going to get BRAND NEW DESKS that no one else
had ever used or sat in. Finally, as I made my parent phone calls at the
beginning of the year, I informed them of the situation. Everything has
run smoothly.
On Friday as the desks were arriving, I had my students journal on the question,
"What has it been like to work without desks? How will things be different
now that we have our desks?" I expected to read a lot about how difficult
it was to work and concentrate, how awful it had been to sit on the floor
when they were creating their charts and posters on group projects, or how
uncomfortable it was to sit in chairs with no writing surfaces.
However, that didn't happen. Not one of my students described the experience
as a horrible one. Most said that it was okay because they knew we were
getting new furniture and we couldn't do anything but wait. One young lady
wrote, "It wasn't a big deal. You had the clipboards for us, and most
of the time I could just use my binder to write on. The only way desks will
really change anything is now we'll have something to lean on."
I have been humbled and shocked by the way my students have responded to
this situation. I wrote in my journal yesterday that I have been frustrated
by the lack of desks, but I have been impressed by the way my students have
handled it. Most of the adults in my building -- myself included --wouldn't
have handled it as well as my kids did. I perceived the situation as being
difficult and challenging, and they perceived it as just another thing to
adapt to and work around.
I get so upset when adults dismiss the views and thoughts of children, making
the comment that they're "just kids" in that sneering, condescending
manner. Adults often believe children have no wisdom or insight into their
own lives; however, on a daily basis I have seen otherwise. If we, as adults
and educators, would drop our perceptions about our children and students,
we might learn a thing or two about how to help them grow as people and
learners.
The perceptions of an unhappy parent
Perception is a powerful and sometimes deceptive thing. I had the father
of one of my students drop his daughter off late this past week and stayed
to visit with me for a couple of minutes during the advisory period. He
was not only unhappy that the students had no desks, but he also grilled
me about my instructional program.
He asked me what type of reading we would be doing this school year. I told
him that I used a lot of quality adolescent fiction to engage my students,
and I also focused on teaching reading and research strategies with nonfiction
pieces since we are involved in a program that requires tremendous amounts
of research on the students' parts. He was unhappy. He told me that I should
be teaching "The Classics." He said, "It's all well and good
if my daughter can research, but when she gets to college, she will be up
against others who have been reading the classics."
When I shared with him that I do use many short stories by authors such
as Jack London and Edgar Allan Poe, he felt a little better, but he said
he thought I ought to be teaching full novels by Richard Wright and others.
What I thought but did not actually say is, "Since when have you heard
of anyone teaching Richard Wright in the sixth grade? Are you crazy? Don't
you know that most of my kids are reading way below level???" Instead
I told him that I was aware of his daughter's advanced abilities in reading,
but that the majority of my students were not reading on level and would
not even attempt to read anything too challenging for their current reading
level. He nodded his head, but still left mumbling about the need for classics.
This parent's perception is much different from mine. I happen to know that
Richard Wright is a fabulous author, but that in most districts he is never
taught or is not taught until junior or senior year to honor students. I
also know that at this point in their lives, many of the "classics"
are too difficult or irrelevant to the lives of my students. He doesn't
see the books my kids pick out from the library, the books they hug to their
chests and share with one another. I see my job as teaching my students
to be better readers or to even become readers, while he perceives my job
as teaching the canon.
The truth is found in unsaid things
We both want what's best for his child, but we have different views about
how to get there. However, as upset as I admit I was after his visit, I
now have a better picture of how to serve him and his child more effectively.
I can bring in my well-loved novels by Austen, Steinbeck, Wright, and others
to share with his daughter. Hopefully he'll develop a better picture of
what I'm faced with in my classroom, that not every child is as strong a
student as his own is. Perhaps he'll even volunteer to share his thoughts
with my students on what he enjoys reading .
Only through dialogue can we become aware of others' perceptions. If we
react to others' actions without trying to find out the cause, nothing is
gained. If we take the time to listen to one another, we might learn more.
In one of my favorite adolescent novels, Walk Two Moons by Sharon
Creech, the main character, a little girl whose mother is gone, sees beneath
the surface to the truth of the events around her. She states that, "The
truth was buried beneath piles and piles of unsaid things." Unless
we are open to others' viewpoints, to others' truths, we'll miss out valuable
tidbits of information that would allow us to help our students grow.
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COMMENTS:
Hello Ellen,
I had to laugh as I read what you were thinking when the unhappy father
said you should be teaching novels by Richard Wright. We all have those
thoughts, but wisely don't always say what we're thinking.
I teach a seventh grade literature class. I do agree with the parent that
classics are important and one should be knowledgeable of their content.
However, even though his daughter has advanced abilities, I have to wonder
if at her age she would find any interest, understanding, or real significance
in the more difficult classics.
I believe one goal of a teacher is to try to promote the love of reading.
At this age, I'm afraid that many classics, although not all, would be a
"turn off." Students love to read about people or situations to
which they can relate. They definitely like to read about people their own
age. The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton, is one book which many seventh graders
favor.
Most students really get involved with the characters. Through this book,
characterization, plot, setting, as well as other literary techniques can
be studied. Critical thinking and activities can make this a valuable learning
tool, even if it is not considered a classic. This is just one example that
comes to mind. There are many novels that a student can enjoy on his reading
level and from which he can learn a great deal.
I also use a literature text with an excellent eclectic selection of short
stories, poetry, myths, essays, etc. These help students explore different
styles and familiarizes them with literary terms.
I applaud the father's concern and interest in his daughter's education.
Perhaps he would like to promote the reading of classic novels at home.
I feel, however, the majority of students need some initial background in
the general understanding of literature before many "classics"
truly can be appreciated.
Mary Ann Townsend
Ellen replies:
Mary Anne,
Thank you for your kind response regarding my entry about the unhappy parent.
I love my parents to get involved, and I have to say that this father has
done an excellent job raising his child. I just think he's a little out
of touch with the needs and interests of sixth graders.
I agree that the classics are important if only to be aware of what our
culture and literature has been built upon. I am fortunate enough to have
collected a large number of books for my classroom, and among the R. L.
Stines and Cynthia Voigts are Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and H. G. Wells.
I try to make no differentiation between them, hoping my kids will select
books based on their interests rather than on someone else's criteria of
what they should read.
Children this age are interested in seeing themselves in characters and
situations. I believe, like you, that my job is to help develop a love of
reading, or at least a tolerance for it. If I can help my students become
readers, they will eventually be open to and seek out books that are considered
classics. Besides, many of the novels written for adolescents are excellent
examples of quality fiction writing, and they deserve as much attention
as books that were written long ago.
Again, thank you for your response. Do you have any strategies that you
use to help students become more open to reading? I find that their preconceptions
about reading or their lack of skill are the biggest challenges I face.
Ellen