It wasn't until I reached this year that I realized how fortunate I was in all of my classes as a Freshman. I had a history teacher who understood that her role as a teacher was not to tell us what to think, but to encourage us TO think. I had an English teacher who pushed the boundaries of education, encouraging us to become "professional learners" who cared more about the big picture and the personal growth than the grades or standardized tests. I feel like I had my own little team, a support group that showed me why and how education can work for me, instead of the other way around. After a summer of personal discovery and intellectual growth, I came back to the same amazing place where I had learned so much the year before, only to find myself back in the very same setting that I thought I had escaped. The first day of school, I entered history class, eager to see how cultures of the world interacted with one another. I was, sadly, dissapointed by a teacher who seems to care little about his students and even less about their learning growth. The class consists of an endless barrage of notes, memorization, and regurgitation of useless information. There is no discussion, and I feel like the world is getting smaller instead of larger. He might as well be standing 200 feet away speaking through a microphone for how much he listens to our opinions. Math is, as ever, seemingly useless. It consists of notes, problems, and tests over and over again in a never-ending cycle. I get through it, but somehow miss the point. Chemistry is hardly cohesive, jumping from subject to subject and laden with busywork that I see no point to, except for the insuing grade. For all of my whining, there is one thing to rejoice in, my Honors American Literature with a wonderful teacher who challenges us to read between the lines and forget about the grade. I feel free in her class and even if I didn't need to be there every day, I would go.
I guess the point of my little rant is this, I am fed up with an education system that seems to care nothing about me as an individual, instead caring only about me as a test score. I am tired of infinate campus (which is hardly infinite), teachers who are afraid of change, and tests that simply show how well we can retain the one-sided lectures of our old-fashioned teachers. I want a teacher, like my two wonderful English teachers, who is there to guide, not to dictate. I want a teacher who understands that grades are not the end all, be all. I want to come to a school where my excitement over a recently read novel is not looked down upon by my peers, but respected and even common. I want every teacher to embrace technology instead of fear it, and give us every opportunity to explore ourselves and the world of learning. Only through highly personalized education can we combat drop-out rates and careless students.
I feel alone in my student body, one of the only remaining students who looks forward to meaningful assignments and learning. We need a change, and we need it now.
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5 comments:
You may feel alone, but I don’t think you are alone. True, there aren’t many students at our school who are as openly passionate as you are about learning, but I still think they care. But I think there are too many obstacles placed in their path that are getting in the way of that passion (cultural, political and systemic). The vast majority of our teachers, however, are truly striving to provide meaningful learning opportunities. We may not all agree on exactly what that looks like, but we continue to try to figure that out.
So, “we need a change, and we need it now.” Agreed. I’d challenge you to think a little bit more about what that change might look like, and then go after it. What can you do to “be the change you want to see?”
Like Karl Fisch said, you may feel alone, but you are not alone. If anything, you have me. I agree with what you've said. I believe true learning and development can only really occur in a personalized environment where the students' interests, strengths, and weaknesses are realized and dealt with appropriately. Without teachers who encourage you to think, not just tell you what to think or give you information to memorize instead of think about, but truly encourage you to think there will be little advancement in education.
Fortunately I also strongly believe that many educators out there have realized this and are prepared to make a difference. You and I and all the other kids in this school and around the world who still consider learning their passion - no matter what the subject matter be- prove that.
As for being the change we want to see, I'm still working on it. But I have no doubt that if we (all students and educators) put our heads together we can make a difference and a change.
Caution: Overused analogy present. Read on at your own risk!
Have you ever traveled to Arches National Park in Utah?
(http://www.nps.gov/arch/naturescience/naturalfeaturesandecosystems.htm)
This area is famous for the stone arches that are located there. Over millions of years salt was deposited in layers due to seas that rose, fell, then eventually totally evaporated.
The sediment that was left behind has steadily worn away over time by erosion. Wind and water are both working together to transform the previously barren landscape into something beautiful to behold.
So what are you/other mind-mates to the American Educational System: wind or water?
You aren't alone at all. I should know; I'm in your class! I think we may have had the same teacher last year and I enjoyed it so much. Instead of memorizing dates, we were encouraged to tell the story of historical events. It was amazing, and I was sorely disappointed this year. I loved what you said about standing 200 feet away with a megaphone :)
Hi!
Does the second question sound familiar?
http://colearning.wikispaces.com/Questions+for+Students+2009
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