Posted in StudentsTeaching on Apr 18, 2010 - 10:35 PM
You know that line we say when someone goes overboard: "He threw in everything but the kitchen sink." Well, some boys at my school wanted to make sure to include the sink into whatever they were mixing because they ripped it out of the wall in one of their bathrooms.What does this have to do with democratic education? It's a clear sign that the type of education they were getting was anything but. I remember reading Ain't No Makin' It by Jay MacLeod and it was in this book that I first learned about how acts of disobedience can sometimes be a way for someone to regain or attain power he/she has lost. This made me look at gum chewing, skipping, cursing, graffiti, and now sink-pulling in a whole different light.
When students respect what the institution they are in stands for, they respect the physical space as well. In Alternatives in Education Greg Goodman, an administrator in an alternative school, in order to assess if the students were actually learning in school, would at the end of the week check if there was writing or damage in the bathrooms in the school.
On a smaller scale, I use this same rule of thumb or paradigm to assess whether students are feeling empowered and cognitively challenged in our classroom. I check desks after they leave for writing or curse words; walls for paint peeling or writing, crevices stuffed with trash and candy wrappers, supplies gone missing or markers left uncapped. These are little signs that reveal to me if students are needing to attain power in destructive ways. In the beginning, there was a lot more of all of the above. Slowly but surely, this behavior has nearly disappeared. I even see and hear students reprimanding others for disrespecting our space.
But I'm looking for transferability--I don't just want my students respecting our classroom; I want them to respect the whole school and their community. This is how I know we as a class haven't just modified behaviors externally but we've touched minds and hearts with the liberating power of authentic democratic education.
Tags for this entry:
k-12 education,
respect,
empowerment,
destructive behavior,
owernship
Comments
Apr 19, 2010 - 03:10 AM
“Slowly but surely, this behavior has nearly disappeared. I even see and hear students reprimanding others for disrespecting our space.” What wonderful news!
I’ve never heard about this viewpoint before but it definitely makes sense. Adding these two books to my reading list!
“I don’t just want my students respecting our classroom; I want them to respect the whole school and their community.” This is an excellent goal to strive for as a class. I wonder if you had a discussion about participation within the community, if it would help? Say, how everyone feels about their say in school events, procedures, etc. Maybe an anonymous survey would help? Is there anything particularly stressful happening?
Whatever happens, I applaud you in your work and your perspective, Ammerah. I wish more people could see the situation through your eyes rather than simply shaking a fist at “those delinquent kids!”
Apr 19, 2010 - 02:04 PM
What an important way to see destructive student behavior, as a need for empowerment. One of my favorite things about democratic spaces is the authentic ownership that its members have. It sounds as if your students are thinking, “Why would we destroy our own space?”, which means that what you’re doing is working. Awesome that you keep checking in on the classroom cues that suggest they’re personally invested and feel that they belong.
Thoraia
Apr 19, 2010 - 12:31 AM
This is quite an interesting viewpoint! I like.