Well, at least, I try to make them talk about it - in English. My current job, as assistant English professor at a high school just outside of Paris. I work with all years - keeping in mind that there are only three years of high school here, so my kids are sophomores through seniors. That is actually where I am currently writing this; I'm in between classes. I'm also, I'll have you know, writing this on aEuropean keyboard, which is just similar enough to be comprehensible and just different enough to be maddening. I forget constantly that you have to press shift to get a period, the W and the Z are switched, there's a Q where the A should be, and M is god knows where. Also, it took me about five minutes of staring at it before I found the apostrophe.
Mais voilà. Moving on. I'm tired today, so my thoughts are all over the place, but I wanted to write something about the discussions - or lack thereof - with my students.
I have small groups, anywhere from 4 to 12 kids, most commonly 8. My job is to make them talk - a worthy goal, but often very difficult! For whatever reason - shyness, level, uncertainty - they are all very reluctant to participate for the most part. I'm trying to figure out how to convince them to try, because I don't believe that students don't have opinions. They just, for the most part, don't share them. It gets frustrating for me when everyone in the class is staring at me when I know they have opinions. The teachers say there are kids who just don't talk, and seem to just think that you can't change that. Of course, I am not an educated teacher, nor am I a psychologist, but it seems to me that there are certain conditions in which kids will participate and certains conditions in which they won't, and it's my job to create a space where the conditions fit the latter. These days I'm just doing it by trial and error.
When they do at last choose to share them, however, they have some interesting ideas. Across the board, they think school is 'pretty bad'. They all think there's too much work and not enough free time, a sentiment I understand. This is a private school so it is much more strict and intensive than usual, but even the public schools here pack in full days of work. 8am to 5 or 6 pm seems to be the norm, and the kids are just worn out. But of course, no teenager in their right mind really 'enjoys' school, do they? However true it may be, I think it's pretty sad.
But one thing they all keep saying, and something that I think should be listened to much more than it is, is that school is boring. I keep asking what would make it better - not because I want them to think they have no choice but because I'm actually curious. If school is boring - and I think these kids are not alone at all - then what can be done to change it? I know from experience that learning can actually be cool - but it seems to be an accepted thought and a foregone conclusion that school will be boring.
We could go to more museums and exhibitions, a few of them suggested. Good point - the opportunity to see what's out there, learn in a practical setting. Have class in different rooms, be able to choose classes so they're with their friends. Almost everyone wants to be able to choose what subjects they study - of course that's not always possible, but maybe it would be possible to create a schedule which includes the basics but also lets them study what they love.
One student said something that I thought was absolutely fascinating. Teachers should be more passionate, they said. I was intrigued. Teachers should be more passionate? Are they not? They make boring classes because they don't like the subject? I doubt that's true, but maybe it is true that we lose the passion in the act of trying to "teach". If you have to Teach, with a capital T, then maybe you worry more about if the students are Learning. But it seems to me that people respond to passion - and perhaps we should leave behind the idea of Teaching, and think about sharing - just sharing. Just like saying, hey, I think this is really cool. Let me tell you why.
Hey, it's worth a shot, right? Especially because at least 60% of every class thinks school is 'pretty bad'. As for me? I think we can do better than that.
No comments:
Post a Comment