A Tree Grows in the Gap
I always like to read 2-3 books at a time because I easily become worked up when I read great books so I need to temper my cathartic outbursts by switching reads. I've recently had the above experience reading The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner and simultaneously reading Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was a mistake to read these two books at the same time; there was no escaping maniacal readings.
In the non-fiction corner, Wagner's book is a look into how even the best schools in the U.S. are failing to prepare students to become "jury-ready" citizens who can actively, ethically, and purposefully engage in our democracy. In the fictional corner, Betty Smith highlights one family's experience with this nation's developing society with its politics, mores, and educational system.
Francie, the central character of Smith's story, through third person narration is brought to life as a young child growing up in early 1900's Brooklyn longing to find her place and happiness as maturity and knowledge of the world slowly chips away at her innocence. For instance, a teacher Francie loves condemns some of her stories she chooses to write about her flawed father as "ugly" and tells her to set fire to these pieces and return to writing beautiful prose about nature and the world. Francie is torn between the love of her father, her admiration of her teacher, and her palpable desire to become a great writer.
I ached when I read this section for two reasons:
1) Have I ever done this to one of my students?
2) It reminded me of my own moments wherein someone I admired said something so belittling and harsh that I wanted, concurrently, to scream and cry my anger and deflation to everyone.
Thankfully, Wagner swooped in with concrete actionable items to target when aiming to educate a generation of youth with little to no permanent damage inflicted. Repeatedly, Wagner mentions that when assessing for good teaching, one solid indicator is the asking of good questions which allow students to be co-facilitators in their learning. It is NOT a series of facts or opinions being doled out to be repeated back to the teacher or testing administration verbatim.
This put my aching heart at ease because I do demand that my students don't follow every opinion or statement I make in class blindly. I also force them to push-back when they feel I have inaccurately assessed any of their work. I just ask them to come with 2 things: Respect and Evidence.
Do I have every good intention possible when I teach my students? Absolutely. But so did Francie's teacher--her soul-crushing instructor. As Wagner and other educational researchers point out, good intentions aren't nearly enough--they're an unstated prerequisite. There's a learning gap for everyone involved in education: teachers, students, administrators, parents, community members, etc. However, it's in the gaps that true innovation and progress can be made towards true empowering education for all.
Posted in on Dec 31, 2010 - 03:25 PM
Have you ever read something alone in a room and found yourself verbally shouting out "YES!" and "SO TRUE!" and gesticulating your passion for the truth before you like a maniac (because, after all, you are shouting and throwing up your arms alone in a room)?I always like to read 2-3 books at a time because I easily become worked up when I read great books so I need to temper my cathartic outbursts by switching reads. I've recently had the above experience reading The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner and simultaneously reading Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was a mistake to read these two books at the same time; there was no escaping maniacal readings.
In the non-fiction corner, Wagner's book is a look into how even the best schools in the U.S. are failing to prepare students to become "jury-ready" citizens who can actively, ethically, and purposefully engage in our democracy. In the fictional corner, Betty Smith highlights one family's experience with this nation's developing society with its politics, mores, and educational system.
Francie, the central character of Smith's story, through third person narration is brought to life as a young child growing up in early 1900's Brooklyn longing to find her place and happiness as maturity and knowledge of the world slowly chips away at her innocence. For instance, a teacher Francie loves condemns some of her stories she chooses to write about her flawed father as "ugly" and tells her to set fire to these pieces and return to writing beautiful prose about nature and the world. Francie is torn between the love of her father, her admiration of her teacher, and her palpable desire to become a great writer.
I ached when I read this section for two reasons:
1) Have I ever done this to one of my students?
2) It reminded me of my own moments wherein someone I admired said something so belittling and harsh that I wanted, concurrently, to scream and cry my anger and deflation to everyone.
Thankfully, Wagner swooped in with concrete actionable items to target when aiming to educate a generation of youth with little to no permanent damage inflicted. Repeatedly, Wagner mentions that when assessing for good teaching, one solid indicator is the asking of good questions which allow students to be co-facilitators in their learning. It is NOT a series of facts or opinions being doled out to be repeated back to the teacher or testing administration verbatim.
This put my aching heart at ease because I do demand that my students don't follow every opinion or statement I make in class blindly. I also force them to push-back when they feel I have inaccurately assessed any of their work. I just ask them to come with 2 things: Respect and Evidence.
Do I have every good intention possible when I teach my students? Absolutely. But so did Francie's teacher--her soul-crushing instructor. As Wagner and other educational researchers point out, good intentions aren't nearly enough--they're an unstated prerequisite. There's a learning gap for everyone involved in education: teachers, students, administrators, parents, community members, etc. However, it's in the gaps that true innovation and progress can be made towards true empowering education for all.
Tags for this entry:
