Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Part 5

Year 5 of my career came, and I was teaching my heart out. I have video of myself from those days, and my lecture is well-organized, witty and topical, with just enough sarcasm to keep it edgy and interesting (gosh, I don't think I've ever seen a better presentation of narrative point-of-view), and a dynamite follow-up assignment, too. Looking back on my approach, I see now that it was the definition of teacher-centered instruction, although you would have had a hard time convincing me of that at the time. It was really nothing more than the Tracey Show: all eyes on me, kids, let me bestow my vast wisdom and knowledge on you. No need for thanks; it's just what I do. There are many adages that try to delineate the roles and responsibilities of teacher and pupil. One that our school adopted for a time was a Chinese proverb, "Teachers open the door, but students must pass through on their own." We all had it hung on our classroom walls in an attempt to encourage our students to accept their part in their education, and even though there were many days when it felt like I was gesturing toward a deserted entryway (anyone? anyone? open door right this way...) I held on to that as a sound metaphor for what we do. At the end of that year, our team leader took another position in the building, and the math teacher who had been her main ally in our team disputes left also, and the way was finally clear for Leila and me to pursue the changes we had talked about for so long. (But what happened next?)

1 comment:

  1. Hmm - I have nightmares about that quote that keep returning. How could that be our philosophy? How devoid that leaves us of responsibility!

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