July 21, 2009
It’s not enough to intend to do good. I mean, it just isn’t. What doctor is excused from killing a patient because that doctor cares?
The saccharine myths that I tell myself and others about my sacrifices, my work ethic, my own academic prowess, my caring, my love, do not ensure that my students learn.
There’s only one thing that comes close to doing that. Informed, multi-measured, reflective, corrective practice.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:02 am
Don’t discount those fireflies in the night, the blinding flashes of inspiration that can neither be measured or predicted.
A good teacher, one that has an informed and reflective practice, can help students experience those serendipitous events.
But it is the student’s eyes that ultimately must see those lights.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I would hope, as you say, that the kind of practice I describe here would encourage and deeply value that kind of learning. At the same time, I cannot rest the efficacy and improvement of my practice on it entirely. That sort of thing only leaves the door open for excuses and sloppiness.
I might use the analogy here of a garden in which are planted seeds for beautiful things– the type, timing, and growth of which we do not know. However, we do know what constitutes good soil, air, water and light. In otherwords, we can measure and predict some things in learning. We know some of the hallmarks of excellence. (Whether they are qualitative or quantitative, by the way, is besides the point.)
There is no excuse to not go to every length to provide the conditions for growth in our gardens, simply because we don’t know when it will bloom.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:32 pm
“There is no excuse to not go to every length to provide the conditions for growth in our gardens, simply because we don’t know when it will bloom.”
Not such a great analogy. There are many of us who do just enough gardening to keep our house from being pulled down by the weeds—we certainly so no reason to go “to every length to provide …”.
Allocating resources needs to depend on the expected outcome—is it worth the effort you put in. Getting through to kids so that they learn is a valuable outcome, so is worth a fairly substantial effort, but it isn’t infinitely valuable, so it isn’t worth going “to every length” if the increase in the probability of the desired outcome is small.
Look first for the changes that result in high probability of success or those that cost little effort. Only after you’ve exhausted the easy wins is it worth soul-searching efforts to do more.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Thanks for the challenging comment, Kevin. I do note that after criticizing the analogy, you go on to expand it.
In fact it seems you’re questioning the wording of “every length” more than the overarching metaphor; I actually agree with this and your careful approach to expending energy as a teacher. I do wonder, in your concept of education, what *would* be something that is “infinitely valuable,” however. This is a genuine question.
July 26th, 2009 at 12:44 am
I would argue that those “saccharine myths” are 90% of what you need in order to ensure that your students learn. I would also argue that the only assessments that matters are the ones that your students’ give you and the work that you see from them everyday in your classroom. Standardized tests of any kind do not measure anything. Sometimes I get the feeling that teachers ‘try to hard’.
July 26th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Hmm, Kenneth, I don’t really follow / think I agree with your comment, particularly the part about assessment. But I do partially agree with your sentiment about the “saccharine myths” having worth.
Dina, you put “work ethic” in there – surely that has a correlation with your belief in the importance of being reflective?
And I’d lump together “caring, love, academic prowess” into the fact that, as you acknowledge above, teaching is part “art”. There really is something to teaching that is like the fireflies Kim L describes. Or, to use a phrasing I heard from Jamie McKenzie, teaching is part “alchemy”.
July 27th, 2009 at 11:52 am
I’m truly not denying that teaching is part “alchemy.” We must be open and adventurous and excited and delighted about that. But it’s only *part*. The other part must be filled with rigor, evidence, and reflection. Please note as well that I am NOT equating this with high stakes exams.
As for my categories of myths, which are decidedly vague, here’s some examples of specifics I’m talking about.
Work Ethic: “If I put in a 60 hour work week, I am a good teacher.”
Caring/Love: “If I feel fondness for my children, remember their birthdays, and hug them, I am a good teacher.”
Sacrifice: “Because I accept a demeaning salary and pour my own financial resources into the classroom, I am a good teacher.”
Academic Prowess: “Because I myself did well in school, I am qualified to be a good teacher.”
These are myths. “Star teachers,” to use Haberman’s term, sometimes exhibit these qualities, but poor teachers also may possess them in equal measure.
August 8th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
The thing is, Dina, is that teaching is a more inexact science than medicine. Five patients can come into an ER with a broken arm, and it is quite possible that the treatment for all five will be the same: set it, plaster it, send ‘em home with pain meds.
Not so for teaching, IMHO. I remember the year I had three students with autism, and I had to approach them in three distinctly different ways. Is not the human mind so much more complex than the human body? There are some with depression who carry it within them for many years. On the other hand, I’ve never known of anyone to have the flu for many years.
I agree in principle- to simply care is not enough. However, we must have the faith that Albert Scheitzer had: “It is not always granted the sower to see the harvest; all work that is done must be done in faith.” I can’t believe that just because I don’t see the results in the time I have the student that I have failed. I’ve had too many come back to see me in later years to share what my impact was. (God bless them) Besides, if I measured my impact based purely on what I have seen, I’d have sunk into a depression myself a long time ago.
August 9th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Jim, I agree. That’s the major problem with medical/educational analogies, I think– unless, of course, you are talking much more holistically about a person’s health than just a broken arm, in which case you have entered a universe of complexity and unknown longitudinal results similar to teaching. After all, the body and the mind are inextricably entwined.
That being said, I still maintain that teaching’s complexity is no excuse for abdicating research, rigor, and reflection (*my* three R’s!
) Too many teachers in our system, including myself, are inadequately trained in these areas and/or are overwhelmed by the daily demands of teaching, throw up their hands, and do exactly that.
August 9th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Totally agree, Dina! We must continually being involved in research and reflection. In fact, reflective teaching is the backbone to effective teaching, IMHO. We must evaluate what we are doing with our students, assess the effectiveness of our methodology, and make adaptations.
August 9th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Jim, Dina – do you think that the medical model of the resident doctor and intern has value for training teachers? I don’t think that what happens in schools is so different from medicine in that education couldn’t find a way to pay expert “attending” teachers more money to mentor young teachers. Sort of adopting a team teaching collaborative style for the first year or two of a newly qualified teacher’s career.
August 10th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Jeff, I totally agree with that. I believe it is past the time to re-think how we view teaching as a profession and actually start doing it. Imagine what effective teachers we would have if we mentored them in a residency-type of setting instead of throwing them to the wolves and hope they figure it out with the help of PDs and personal reflection.
August 10th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Jeff and Jim: GO SINGAPORE!:)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0324/p12s01-ussc.html
Jim: did you happen to get my last email? I’m hoping to set up pen pals and care package recipients in NO for my students this year. Any suggestions?
August 11th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I am coming into this conversation late and forgive me if I missed something intrinsic, but at what time did anyone say that to be a caring, kind – indeed, loving – teacher one automatically gives up reflection, research, and rigour?
In fact, I’d say that I am NOT caring, kind, and loving as a teacher if I were to teach without reflection, research, and rigour.