I had an interesting day, yesterday (Monday), which was preceded by a wonderful weekend, spent in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains. Brenda and I drove up to Cullowhee, home of Western Carolina University — our Alma mater. We were invited by folks at the Alumni Association to watch the WCU Catamounts “whoop up” on the App State Mountaineers. Facing an undefeated team from Boone, the Cats did a respectable job, scoring two touchdowns, and holding ASU to only 37 points. The highlight was, of course, the nationally recognized and award winning WCU Marching Band who filled the field, performing both a half time show and a second, after the game, show, facing the visitor’s stand, which remained filled until their show was over.
Brenda and I spent the night in Asheville, and then most of Sunday driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway (photos here).
Yesterday (Monday), we had breakfast with faculty and administration of the School of Education and Allied Professions, followed by a presentation I was asked to give to faculty and a bunch of education students. It was the first time that Brenda saw me speak to an audience (another story) and she commented later how some of the professors seemed to be watching the students and jotting down notes based on the youngsters’ responses.
After the talk, I met with a smaller group of faculty and administration for lots of questions and exchanges — and little of that was new. What was different was the perspective. They wanted to know, “How can we affect change?” This was a compact and concentrated congregation of leadership that was assuming responsibility for moving schools forward. I work with education leaders almost every week. But they go back to their own institutions. These folks will continue the conversation.
I can’t put my finger on any one statement or situation, but what came to mind several times is how much we, in K12 education, have lost our confidence. I remember, when I was teaching 25 to 35 years ago, a sense of educational entrepreneurship. I couldn’t have expressed it that way then, but I was free and felt encouraged to innovate in order to motivate learning — rather than applying teaching.
One of the professors said that when his daughter came home from her first day in sixth grade, she said that the principal had told the students that they will not be having fun. They will be learning. That is not innovation. It is blunt force education.
Not only have we lost our confidence, but our students are losing their childhood.
I’m finishing a masters in ed tech. Aside from myself saying the word “fun” in class myself, I have not encountered the concept as important or noteworthy from any reference material or syllabus. And we wonder why students are glad to be done with the educational process when they graduate, and look upon learning as odious.
David,
Do you think that educators have lost confidence because of the toxic attitudes and beliefs about public education that have permeated our culture in the last few decades? Every time I turn around, someone or some entity is telling me that I am incompetent. Or could it be that the constant political pressure to reform schools, without adequate funding, support, or consistent leadership has created educators who don’t know what to do, or who are afraid to be innovative because they need to keep their jobs? When you feel constantly under attack from all sides, how can you possibly believe in yourself??
Stacey, I think that it is partly all-the-above. I’ve written about our loss of confidence before, and mostly from the perspective of the political gain that comes from saying that schools/teachers are not doing their jobs. But I would add that education, as an institution has conservativism built into it — and this is not bad. Part of the job of education is to preserve the values that are important.
But things are changing, and we are finding it difficult, as an institution and as a profession, to adapt to the needs of a new generation of learners, new information environment, and unpredictable future. For the many who recognize this, but are constrained by a momentum that is nearly irresistible — that’s got to do bad things to your confidence.
This breaks my heart. It’s also the reason that I was considering leaving the field and why I feel compelled to stay. I don’t have any ideas for solutions outside of my own classroom, though.
How do you feel educators have lost confidence? Can you give some examples?
The first comment above saddens me (the one from the person pursuing a masters in ed tech). I strive to make learning and my class fun everyday. Some days are more boring than others, but “fun” should definitely be incorporated regularly in the classroom.