In going through the reading this week I couldn’t help but get caught up in the Major Goals of Middle Level Education from the textbook. With the state of our country right now, “Become actively aware of the larger world, asking significant and relevant questions about the world and wrestling with big ideas and questions for which their may not be one right answer,” feels particularly relevant. Throughout various news and social media outlets I have seen brutal acts of violence and incredibly moving moments of kindness as cries for change sweep across our nation. Now my experience with children in the middle grades is limited to the time I spent in that environment for field experience hours, but the students I interacted with seemed to be pretty in tune with current events and they questioned everything. So I can’t help but think to myself how do I address this in my classroom? Or do I avoid it? Is there even a “right” answer? I know that my views may differ from yours which may differ from the next person’s but right now those slight differences seem to hold much more volatility than at any time I have ever known. I believe that the classroom should be a place where we can hold open discussions and respectfully deliberate the multiple viewpoints of any argument, and that it should indeed be a place where students start to develop these skills. But recently I have been taken aback as I read comments in social media which have received an incredible amount of backlash when from my perspective they didn’t appear to be that inflammatory, leading me to question the effectiveness of my own filter. And I have seen words of hate breed even more hate, making me wonder how as a nation we can temper our emotions and find a way to peacefully plot a path forward. It is my belief that at this young and still very impressionable age we have great influence in molding the way our students process these types of situations and it is incumbent upon us to do so in a way that allows them to reconcile themselves with the other, moving past preconceived notions to find the heart and the truth of the matter. I know I am still wrestling with these ideas in my head, but maybe a few of you out there can share what this would look like in your classroom?
Hi Jim!
ReplyDelete"I have seen words of hate breed even more hate". I have too especially lately. We're living through an extremely heightened emotional time. I too believe we have an extraordinary gift to be a force in these young adult minds. As the AMLE book says, these young adults want freedom but they still want adults that are honest and someone they can talk to. I see this only increasing as long as we can hold on to their trust. I see trust only forming when one is authentic and honest. I try to do that every day even as a substitute teacher and I think it has done me extremely well. I have been able to build a relationship with students.
The goal that you speak about in this blog post is one that I starred myself during the readings and I think that exceptionally a result of the time we are living in. As a sub for primarily 8th grade, these students know SO MUCH about what is going on. From politics to the coronavirus before we went to shelter in place, all of the students knew the current state of affairs. We live in the information age with Google and their smart phones. This could frighten us or we can get over it and see how best to suit our students because the information is not going to go away.
As a future English Language Arts teacher, my goal is to make students completely aware of how to search and distinguish between a reliable, trustworthy source and one that is not. Another goal of mine is to instruct my students on how to think constructively, analytically, and to be reflective. I don't think we give enough time for students to reflect on things. I hope to do that as a teacher. To intentionally carve out time for this practice to be done because I think it's so important.
And to be completely honest with you, I look at is a complete disservice to our students and this world to not talk about the world outside of their four walls of the classroom. I know this is a touchy subject that people are very passionate about. Some say to leave that to the parents where others feel the way I do. I think there's a way that providing information and allowing the students to think and react in an educational way is possible. I don't think we should influence their way of thought, but that does not mean we shouldn't provide the information.
I look back at my readings in middle school and high school and they were all written by white people and mostly men. How faulty can we be? Truly. One thing comes to mind that I think is a useful story in this context - My high school English teacher senior year is one of my favorite teachers of my educational experience. She fought for us to read banned books. She shared her opinions. She was passionate about what she believed in. And she let this all be known. Years later, I call her a friend and I'm lucky for that. But she has made it known the emails she gets from parents and administrators that tell her she needs to apologize. Perhaps it's the school district or perhaps that life, but should that stop us as teachers? I don't think so. I wish we were in person so I could tell a personal story but that will have to wait.
Like I said, I don't think we can make everyone happy in this situation, but I think it's important to talk about the world and the events going on. Our students will look to us for support and guidance. How can we not give it to them?
Middle school students that I have observed do seem to be aware of the world around them, but I too wonder how do you teach students about critical thinking and asking questions. Emotions are running high, as well as opinions and name calling. Social media seems to run on full emotional reaction, not even based on truth but dividing society through "Pro" or "Con" positions, with very little room for logic and reasoning. Everyone is a radical, one way or another. It is difficult to find facts these days, let alone hear them used without bias and agenda. It is a good question, how do you talk about volatile current events? Maybe it does start by teaching ground rules for Socratic discussion based upon facts? Personal opinions are perspectives, and learning that everyone has different perspectives that should be heard with respect. However, information and facts are what fuel good decisions.
ReplyDeleteJames I never put the major goals of Middle Schools and today's current issues. It was a great connection. I see your point about addressing important issues in the classroom. You may think your viewpoint may seem right to you, but you do not know what the opinions of the parents are. You do not want to get parents upset with you because of your opinions. I have made comments in a class while subbing that did not seem to be bad. However after thinking about it, I was not sure if I should even say anything. Or if you are going to say something may preface that it was your opinion and each student should develop his or her opinion.
ReplyDeleteHi James, I hope you and your family are doing great ans staying safe. I enjoyed reading your post because I can see how you and I share similar points. First, I am one of those people who will share my honest opinion on a topic, specially if I have enough information on that topic. I think it is such an important skill for students to become independent thinkers. I want students to be able to listen from others even if they don't agree but be able to form their own view point. I am also the kind of person who will not hold back on disagreeing even if everybody else in the group agrees to something. It is hard when you are on a school setting and there is a controversial topic to talk about. Although, I always keep in mind that middle school students brains and thinking can be manipulated to however an adult wants that's why I try not to share my own personal views with them because their opinion can be influence. I totally understand how you feel when you can't or shouldn't share your opinions. Students nowadays have many information and are always looking up to adults opinions but they must learn to form their own.
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