So I misinterpreted my homework today. “Who does school work for” was really the aim, but I struggled with “What works well in schools?” Obviously, I think that certain things work well, but damn it if I wasn’t hard pressed to articulate at least one of them.
I think part if it is due to a lot of the reading we’ve been assigned. Don’t get me wrong, I’m one hundred percent behind teaching for social justice, but to study this pursuit is to read some truly bleak shit. For instance, an article I read earlier this week is entitled “Dismantling the School to Prison Pipeline”. A novice educator can easily get overwhelmed.
So there I was, grappling with myself to articulate just one positive element of secondary schools in the United States. Twenty minutes later, I thought, “I don’t think I’m a pessimist, am I?” Easily distracted, apparently, but I thought I was largely hopeful.
I ended up writing about the freedom enjoyed—at least to a degree—by American educators. Clearly this is under an increasing threat from standardized testing, and pressure to “teach to the test.” All the same, very rarely do two English teachers teach a British Lit class the same way, or with the same texts. That variety, a microcosm of the variety seen in American universities—our real educational wealth—still inspires me, but is the product of something much greater: our educators themselves.
I’m biased, sure. My mother is a reading teacher; with any luck, I’ll be in the classroom in the next week or so; I’m still friends with some of my High School teachers. Still, talk to anyone and ask the to name five people who really had an impact on their lives, and I’ll bet you there’s at least one teacher in there. I look at my classmates, and I see inspiring people who will make a difference in the lives of their students. And I know we’re still at least doing something right.
