Compliance over Creativity?

I thought I would just let my first post sit until I attracted more readers (I have had SIX whole page views!), but I guess I will use this blog as an outlet as education-related news pops up. Are you okay with that, my 6 friends?

If you are on social media at all, you've probably come across the viral video of the cop brutally disciplining a high school student. I admit that I didn't watch the video and I didn't read much into the background. But this article hits the nail on the head for me. Pretty much, the problem is that this student didn't follow the directions of an authority figure the first time given.

Sadly, this is the expectation in our school system right now. One of the reasons I struggle so much as a teacher is that I don't believe in this idea of compliance. I started my education career as a special education teacher. One of the things I loved about it was that I was expected to differentiate based on the needs of my students. So, if I walked my students down the hall using scooters, that was okay. If I led a lesson that let the kids build a craft and then eat it, that was okay. I HAD to be creative with my engagement because these students wouldn't, couldn't learn any other way.

When I moved into a first grade position, I learned quickly that the expectations my administrators had for me would be much different. The "good" teachers had students in quiet lines in the hallway. They raised their hands. They didn't argue. I don't put the word good in quotations marks to insult these teachers. I really do think these teachers were exceptional because they showed they could gain respect of their students. And because of that, they were able to lead exceptional lessons for the students. But just because kids CAN learn that way, does that mean they should?

I don't agree with these standards for a well-behaved class. I so very much support the standards we have in place that focus on diving deeper into learning and truly understanding concepts rather than rote memorization. But I don't support the testing that drives teachers to need to stuff so much information into the kids even when it's boring, frustrating, or simply developmentally inappropriate for the kids. This feeling leads teachers to NEED to control the class, even when it might be better to go off on a tangent, to fuel the excitement students have about a completely different topic.

I know for me, I feel frustrated when I have to stifle my students' conversation so that I finish everything in my lesson plans. In turn, I often direct my frustration at the students who would not, could not conform to the behavioral standards imposed on them. These were the students who I knew I would LOVE in a small group setting where I could simply converse with them and help them dive deeper into the things that sparked their interests.

There are so many teacher-bashers out there who don't see the whole story. I completely agree that there needs to be a better way to manage behavior with our students, especially those from rough backgrounds. However, teachers cannot do that without support from administration to go off the beaten path and without funding to have smaller class sizes. Let's continue to challenge our kids, but let's be okay with throwing the curriculum aside once in awhile. That's when the true learning often begins.