A Colleague Writes...

A former secondary schoolmate of mine, who also works in the education business -- Lynda Ward -- wrote a blog entry about an op-ed piece in the New York Times:

http://dark-edgy-girl.livejournal.com/21439.html

Her blog reminded me once again of the research which showed that students who are treated with equally high respect and high education expectations tend to perform much better than students who are treated with the expectation they are equally spread out on a low-to-high scale of performance and capability. Although student performance can usually be measured on the classic bell curve, one can decrease the spread of the standard deviation if one encourages students to perform at their peak rather than teach to the lowest common denominator.

The current class in which I have the privilege to stand in front of the students as the instructor, IT250 - Linux Operating System, contains students who instantly showed me their initiative and drive to succeed during the first day of class. They humble me with their knowledge of the subject at hand, which challenges me to find ways to push them to the next level. My goal is never to prove I am smarter or more knowledgeable than any one student but to show the students that their horizon is broader than they ever imagined. I am not a Linux guru - I am one who helps others find the guru within themselves. To do that, I [attempt to] make the administrative side of the class vanish, treating homework, tests and labs as if they don't exist, so that students mine the material -- the required reading and the Linux installation CD/DVD -- for the gems that'll show the students how much they shine. I willingly make myself look ignorant or dumb in order to force the students to work together to find solutions without depending on me for an answer.

How does one student achieve a level of brilliance when one is deficient in a subject? By becoming socially aware, relying on fellow students for unknown information and sharing information other students don't have, so that together clarity is found. Cohesiveness through cooperation. Obvious? Sure. Of course, the same is true in all human endeavors. Nobel prize winners do not achieve greatness alone - they are supported by a team of peers. Winners in any race depend on coaches, therapists, family, competitors and unknown fans to make their mark and set records. The same holds true for my classes - it is not one student who shines alone - the whole class achieves greatness together.

I cannot turn back the clock and rearrange a student's life to optimize her/his nurturing environment. Instead, I enrich the lives of all the students at once, getting them to work together to compensate for any previous lack of knowledge/education, hoping they learn to apply this cooperative mindset with their children and grandchildren. Thus, I follow my own advice to have kids and take care of your family. My students are my foster kids and a temporary family to me. This is not a secret that I'm sharing with you. I share this trait with many dedicated people in the education field and corporate management structure. It is life manifested in the artificial environment of the office place and the classroom.