Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Civility: The Right Thing to Teach in Contenious Times: Feb 5
How many times have you been in a classroom where the teacher paused after a student's comments, never replied, and moved to the next student? We can usually tell by a teacher's response that the answer was either "wrong" or "right". I strive not to be that teacher. But how do you interact without creating judgement and discouraging comments out of fear of getting it "wrong"? We, as teachers, need to practice our responses. We need to have a host of responses to create a civil enviroment for our students. We need to immediately correct less than civil comments between students as well. Part of perfecting this is to truly believe that all contributions have value and try to teach without an agenda. I desire very much to have a free-thinking class that is unafraid to contribute. What ways do you think I can accomplish this? How do you respond with civility when the student has really missed the mark?
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I have a love/hate relationship with the idea that teachers have to truly believe that all contributions have value and try to teach without an agenda because of the contradiction/paradox you pose, Amy, leading up to that claim. I have too often experienced those moments when students say hurtful, discriminatory things or things that are just "wrong" to value just any old contribution. I want to value people and their whole-souled quest for truth--but what shall I say when a student remarks (as they have) "black people are just lazy," for just one random example of many from which I might choose. What if students say something intolerable, "that's gay..."? I can't just sit idly by and say, "thank you for sharing." I agree that students need to feel safe, but I always have an agenda when I teach... to make the world a better place and to help folks think about a greater embrace of humanity toward peacebuilding. If I didn't have an agenda, why would I bother? The job is too hard and doesn't pay enough. So there is my rant... I have told students I think that the view they hold is wrong. It doesn't always go over well, but I can sleep at night... A lot of people who teach disagree with me, that much I know.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments completely. I didn't make clear my assumption that the student made a civil comment. I would have no problem with a racist, sexist, or just plain inapropritate comment in my classroom to be met with an immediate "That kind of response is not acceptable here, under any cirumstances."
ReplyDeleteI admire you response. I hope to do the same.
What I didn't make clear was that I was speaking of a normal civil discussion in a classroom about a piece of work that could have several different interpretations. I want to make clear that a poem, for example, could evoke a response from a student that is not necessarily the acceptable or standard interpretation of the author's work, but it is still a valuable comment. Even if the author himself fully explains the meaning of the work, it doesn't mean that a student's initial reactions to the work should be deemed as "wrong". Like all art, the work evokes in us something that is UNIQUE and beyong what others may think or feel. This needs to be valued not only because it is the heart of that student, but because it may create more dialog among the other students. This, i hope will foster a free-thinking classroom. I too, will teach with a human agenda: to promote peace, brotherhood (esp among the sisters!), unity, love, joy, knowledge, and a sense of service to the whole. These concepts to me are unwaivering. I think you put it perfectly when you said "I want to value their whole-souled quest for truth." Rock on sister-friend!