The vast majority of those who stick with teaching after the first few years continue to make the profession their career; I don’t have data to back up this statement, but I strongly believe it to be true. The reasons for this career choice vary: from love of the subject matter to the pleasure of seeing students grow intellectually, emotionally, and other ways. And, yes, there are those who just want their summers off. In more than four decades of teaching, I have experienced these joys and much more; if I had it to do over again, I probably would still choose to be a high school teacher. But when I consider the joys of being in the classroom, one of my greatest delights is simply talking to students.
As I mention in “Quote of the Day,” elsewhere in this issue, I love to chat with students. In the halls, in my office, on the front steps, at Starbucks across the street, before or after, even during class, I find myself chatting with students about all sorts of subjects. The “Quote of the Day” is a natural opening to talk with students, but I rarely need an excuse to talk. The frequent Monday morning question, “What did you do over the weekend?” often provokes a conversation that, as others chime in, will last as long as I will let it. I hear about movies seen, restaurants frequented, boring days at home, pets walked and fed, and relatives visited. I remember a recent conversation during which a student told me (and the class) that she and her dad went on a long bike ride as he trained for a triathlon. When we talk about politics, and we do, I am pretty sure that I know who is repeating what they heard from their parents at the dinner table or in the car on the way to school and who is thinking for him- or herself. The stories they tell are often humorous, but there are also the ones about sick friends or dying grandparents that tug at one’s heartstrings. Many seniors want to talk about going to college, but others are reluctant, either because they are all talked out on the subject or so stressed out that they can’t bear another, “So, what schools are you applying to?”
Their liveliness, openness, humor, warmth, affection, and intelligence all make talking to students engaging. Teenagers are far less inhibited than adults and will eagerly discuss most aspects of their lives. (Too eagerly sometimes, and then I have to stop them before they say something indiscreet.) I don’t begrudge any of our chatting time in class because all this talk allows me get to know my students better. I might never know who plays piano avidly, who spends weekends at the senior citizen center, who sails Lake Michigan, who takes classes in stand-up comedy, and so much more. I am convinced that, as young people talk about themselves--their dreams and aspirations, their fears and hopes--they are firming up their identity, word by word, becoming the clearly defined person they need to be.
Any issue of Independent Teacher that includes an article by Alfie Kohn, the highly respected authority on education and author of Punished by Rewards and many other books and articles, is a special issue indeed. For more than twenty years he has been, as Time magazine has stated, "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores." Elsewhere in this issue we have articles about writing and performance, the importance of recognizing the best in our schools, the value of introducing self-assessment in the lower grades, and much more. Finally, we have an issue that includes several articles for Lower School faculty. Enjoy!
As always, your comments and suggestions are most welcome at [email protected].
S. I.