You Talkin' to Me?
Have you every noticed how repartee can quickly spiral into provocative debate? At times I believe that we, the collective group of those who care about youth and their future, shoot ourselves in the foot. Our wheels are spinning in a whirl of preparation, change, upholding valued tradition, etc. In this frenzy to forecast the future, correct every injustice, and meet every need while maintaining rigor, we become so myopic that the big picture is mired. Pick your flavor of reasoning – overwhelmed, exhausted, disillusioned, or misunderstood - we solve nothing. Interesting, aren’t these similar answers students reason to excuse their vacillation in progress?
To me, the big picture is to make learning social studies relevant and meaningful to students. It is the electricity of connectivity. My hope is that within the extrinsic forum of school – and let’s face it life – I will spark an intrinsic desire to go beyond. I am, however, concerned that too much massaging of the student self-concept will foster a
trompe-l’oeil of their perceived importance.
There are many things I do because I must. Part of school is learning how to adapt, cope, and problem-solve. Dare I say, it also teaches some to master the art of playing the game. Students are in a developmental stage of life, which is shaped by experience. Experience is not always pleasant or hand-picked. Sanitizing experience sets one up for future failure; a time when the safety net of home and school may not exist.
The MSNBC link below addresses a study on narcissism. I plan to show the clip entitled, “What About Me?”, to my sociology students. I am interested to hear their responses, and most importantly, if they view adults as being as self-absorbed and deserving of a reality check as we perceive students to need.
What About Me?
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=6e65bb17-d518-45c8-81cc-ce9c01eb37bf&f=00&fg=email
To me, the big picture is to make learning social studies relevant and meaningful to students. It is the electricity of connectivity. My hope is that within the extrinsic forum of school – and let’s face it life – I will spark an intrinsic desire to go beyond. I am, however, concerned that too much massaging of the student self-concept will foster a
trompe-l’oeil of their perceived importance.
There are many things I do because I must. Part of school is learning how to adapt, cope, and problem-solve. Dare I say, it also teaches some to master the art of playing the game. Students are in a developmental stage of life, which is shaped by experience. Experience is not always pleasant or hand-picked. Sanitizing experience sets one up for future failure; a time when the safety net of home and school may not exist.
The MSNBC link below addresses a study on narcissism. I plan to show the clip entitled, “What About Me?”, to my sociology students. I am interested to hear their responses, and most importantly, if they view adults as being as self-absorbed and deserving of a reality check as we perceive students to need.
What About Me?
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=6e65bb17-d518-45c8-81cc-ce9c01eb37bf&f=00&fg=email
posted by S. Cornils | 6:40 PM
4 Comments:
Hey,
I am sorry that it feels like everything that you do is for naught, or at least doesn't seem to work. I know that life can throw really tough challenges into the mix and it can feel as though nothing you do can really make a difference. I have been going through a time like that now in my life. I hope you don't mind that I read anything on this page. If you don't want me to do so again, go to my blog, comment and tell me. Incase you don't know from my username thing, this is Lizzie.
Hey, Lizzie! Thank you for posting. I value your input.
I guess my thoughts are not that what teachers do is for naught, but rather that we often fail to live in present time. It is that concept of carpe diem; it can be elusive. Because I truly care about students and their future, I think I am always trying to improve and hone my role as a teacher. I love to watch the light bulb click on for students; furthermore, I want it to continue flickering becoming brighter and brighter! It doesn’t have to be social studies – although that would be great – but passion for learning and compassion for one’s community are really the optimum goals.
You touch on an important point about trying to make a difference and the curveballs life throws at you. It can be discouraging. If the goal is worth it to you, I believe in sticking to it steadfastly. Golly, I know this is much easier said than done.
Lizzie, thank you again for your insightful posting on my blog. I feel honored that you took the time to read and comment. If you would like to discuss more, please feel free to blog back or stop by to chat. It is always such a treat to hear from you!
Interesting post. It is a crazy dichotomy between motiviating students and giving them self esteem and enabling students to be lazy procrastinators (at least in my opinion).
At what point am I fostering learning verus enabling "slacking".
I know that all teacher are extremely busy, but if you ever have the time, or the urge to find out what is going on inside my head, you can go to "eliza2english.blogspot.com", and learn a little more about me. I wish you well!
Lizzie~
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