Week 2

            As I read about dehumanizing vs. developmentally appropriate schools I couldn’t help but think of my son.  He is 15 years old and is in 10^th grade.  Just two days ago, he initiated a discussion with me regarding what kind of educational system he felt would be most beneficial for learning.  Certainly in his years of learning he has experienced classrooms that are at both ends of the spectrum.  And in some he has thrived and in some he has simply survived.  I vividly recall siting in a parent session for gifted students in his elementary school when he was in 2^nd grade.  The presenter explained that in the public school system where they seek to educate a large number of children, the students would likely be expected to fit a certain way of learning and behaving.  She went on to explain that it is not unusual for some children who are identified as gifted, not to fit into that box.  And they will likely find it difficult.  But at this point the only thing she could offer was that they would have to find a way to fit into the box that most schools expect of their students.  Conformity, obedience, and acceptance are often strong values in a classroom.  I wondered whether her words didn’t apply to all students, not just gifted ones.  Indeed, my experience has been that conforming to a teacher-centered, authoritarian system is often the rule in many classrooms. My concern, among many with such a system, is that it discourages the very attributes that will be needed in our modern society such as creativity, inquisitiveness, freedom to explore interests, and the need to think outside the box.  

My son has had some teachers that created classroom environments that were the opposite of dehumanizing.  In particular he had an English teacher last year, who was amazing and encouraged education in a much broader sense.  That teacher continues to impact my son as he references things he said or ways that the teacher contributed to his intellectual curiosity even now.   Sadly at the end of the school year, that same teacher resigned from his position saying that it didn’t seem as though the school valued his way of teaching anymore.  It is true that the culture seems to have bent toward content, standards, and a more dehumanizing system of education.  But I am sad at the loss of this teacher.  I am sad that other students will no longer benefit from life in his classroom.  Students must wade through many classes in a day, and each classroom in some sense is its own island.  Educational culture and philosophies differ from teacher to teacher.  What is the best learning environment for students and can we change a school?   Frankly, it is difficult as a teacher or as a school counselor whenever he/she seeks to move in a different direction.  But having seen the impact it can have on a student, means that it is worth supporting, encouraging, and striving for.