ELLEN
BERG
Diary #16
It's Time We All Stopped Passing the Buck
"Criticizing the
client is the conventional defense in any embattled profession, and
these stereotypes conveniently relieve us of any responsibility for
our students' problems--or their resolution." -- The
Courage to Teach, Parker J. Palmer
I am thinking, "Come on. You KNOW that is not happening. Stupid you are not." In a former life, I probably would have said exactly that, but having matured a bit, I tried a different tactic.
I told her that we were given many directives about how to use our time, but that for a myriad of reasons, many edicts were not actually in practice. "The problem is that many of us do not have the training or experience to do many of the things you ask us to do, and, like our students, we simply avoid the task to keep from looking stupid. We need ongoing training and support in many of these areas."
She looked shocked. I think many people go on the offensive when challenged because most people will back down quickly. Instead, the committee launched into a productive discussion of how we might be able to put this particular objective as well as others into practice, since we want the plan to be a living, truthful document.
United, we might stand
The most interesting thing about this experience was that once I spoke up, others chimed in to support my position. Maybe if we stand up for what is right, others will find enough strength to stand up as well. I am continuing to read The Courage to Teach by Parker J. Palmer, albeit at a snail's pace. Each page provokes some new understanding that requires some thoughtful digestion. The quote at the beginning of this entry is just such an example.As I thought more about how my superiors pass the buck to abdicate their own responsibilities, I realized that teachers (myself included) do the same to our students and their parents.
Everyone has someone to blame for the low achievement and behaviors of our students. Are there roadblocks and mitigating factors for particular populations or individuals? Certainly. But too often we latch on to these influences as an excuse for failure instead of counterbalancing these influences with influences of our own. If students can be influenced negatively, cannot they also be influenced positively?
I understand that it may be difficult--not impossible--to effect change as a lone teacher, but if all staff in a building for several years running all preached and acted in a manner to neutralize the negative factors, couldn't we make a difference?
Absolutely.It is human to seek scapegoats out of fear of our own inadequacy, but remaining there to avoid responsibility is ridiculous. No one expects us to have all the answers. If we do not know something, we have the power to learn more. If one strategy does not work, we can try a different one.
To simply shrug our shoulders and walk away from our responsibility to try is criminal, and no amount of analysis of poverty, the media, or lack of parental involvement can acquit us from our crimes.
Analyzing my own data
I finally got the Scholastic Reading Inventory scores from the beginning of the year this week, and I spent the time to chart students according to the four categories Scholastic provides: at-risk, basic, proficient, and advanced. The results explained a lot, especially why many of my sixth graders might be acting out.
However, as I examined the seventh and eighth grade results, I noticed the trend was better scores. I should be happy, right? At the eighth grade level, only seven students were identified as at-risk as opposed to the double-digits at the sixth grade. But as I perused the list of students considered proficient, I only felt shame.
Shame that there were seven students still on the at-risk level. Shame of remembering their difficult behavior and my response to it. Shame that I did not recognize what they needed or how I could help them. The indictment of inadequacy, inattention, and irritation at their inconvenient behaviors dropping squarely in my lap. It's tough to swallow, because I never wanted them to fail. Unfortunately, because I did not have the answers, I grabbed on to the most convenient plan of action. No more. I promised my students this year that they would leave as better readers and writers, and I am committed to that. I am trying to see beyond their behaviors and to dismiss my natural irritation to help them. I still do not have all the answers, but I am working harder to find them.
