Hope raised my heartbeat when I read that the state Board of Education was framing a new multiyear strategic plan. Could it be about repairing or reimagining classroom life for our beloved students and teachers?
I’ve spent a lot of hours in middle school classrooms this semester: coaching struggling beginning teachers, observing and evaluating student teachers, and as a team member guiding students through digital media art projects. I’ve seen a lot that troubled my heart, especially overwhelmed novice teachers doing their best to meet the instructional and management expectations of masterful veterans:
>> To contain boisterous bombshells of energy, to cajole or coerce them into compliance — sitting still and keeping quiet.
>> To “differentiate” instruction and produce the success of grade-level test scores for 25 students in six different classes with academic skills ranging from kindergarten to high school.
>> To support the emotional well-being of students who have failed, feel lost, and have either given up and withdrawn or rebelled by acting out in rage and destruction.
I’ve also had some close encounters that lifted my heart:
>> The eighth grader who confided in me when I was in her chaotic classroom in first quarter and who shouted when she saw me in the stairwell, “Miss! Miss! Remember me? Miss, my grandma passed!” and fell into my arms.
>> The seventh grader who whispered to me “that boy is being not nice to me” and, when I assured her that I would watch out for her, said, “Can I give you a hug?”
>> The boy sitting silently and blankly with a “research” worksheet in front of him. When I helped him use the index, read the question, and put his finger to the text page that had the matching clue word, he cried, “That’s it! I got one!”
Then last night, I talked to — no, listened to — my smart, sophisticated eighth-grader grandniece as they went off on the question, “What needs to change at your intermediate school to make it better?”, and said:
>> The pressure of the instruction bulldozer that drives us to follow The Plan, to meet the target, to cover the chapters, to score high on tests. I keep thinking, “But, what if … ?” and “How about … ” and “How can this be real for me?” (This speaks to standards-based instruction.)
>> Chances and time to bond, build empathy and relationships. We did a couple of “ice breakers” the first week of school, and then it was “get to work.” (This is about social/emotional learning.)
>> More individual help. When I’m really lost and just don’t get it, I wish the teacher could just have the time to explain it to me. But she’s either busy helping other kids or just presenting solutions on the board and I’m feeling more lost and behind. (This involves student-teacher ratios.)
So now I’m hoping again. Can a new strategic plan help us provide standards-based instruction that also allows learners to explore, make meaning, create and achieve personal excellence? Can it guide us in centering our teaching on nurturing resiliency, a sense of belonging, safety and well-being for all students? Can it support our beginning teachers with the accommodations and help they need to succeed in the years it takes to really grow a good teacher? I sincerely hope so.
Elly Tepper is a consultant educator and an Ulu A‘e Transitions grant team member.
