Education and Culture

Thought spill, go. I want to be an English teacher; where do I start?

I. The Dream

As an educator, what would my goal be? Should teachers reward academic achievement or effort? Initially, I leaned toward the former. This is problematic. From the standpoint of a university student who has been privileged enough to participate in higher education and been taught to learn competitively, academic achievement seems like the obvious choice. But in teaching younger grades, such as elementary and middle school, I also think it's important to instill the intrinsic motivation in students necessary for them to ever truly learn beyond what it is put in front of them. Here is the dilemma: what do you do with the high school students? When do we transition from praising stalwart efforts to actually achieving academic skill? Earlier on, I would think...perhaps I don't know enough about developmental psychology and all of that to draw any real conclusions. What does one do with the student who tries and tries and tries, but never produces quality work? Or the student who misses class, disrespects the material, yet produces outstanding work? I don't know.

II. The Dream -- Refined, and...Unclear

Okay, so when I first started testing teaching English as a career choice, I imagined myself teaching in my old high school (which is a place of secondary education radically different from others in terms of attitudes, acceptance, and so forth--I was blessed to have attended a high school that was so intent on fostering my personal growth as well as my academic growth). As I've learned a little bit more about classroom structures and philosophies of education, I'm beginning to see how things aren't so cut-and-dry. I think some high school teachers' dreams are to teach the Advanced Placement classes, where students are eager and willing to learn--whether it be for the sake of learning, or for the sake of getting into a good college--nonetheless, generally speaking, students in Advanced Placement classes tend to do better in school. That one's not difficult to understand. What about the others?

III. Culture

So the more I poke at this whole teaching thing, I find myself being pulled toward teaching bilingual students, or perhaps students who tend to struggle with English more than my high school classmates who on the whole, represented the group of English-speaking middle-class Americans that I think most educators shape their curriculum around. Here's another problem. In a high school English class, which seeks to enrich both mastery of the English language as well as an understanding of literature, how much effort do we put into making the classroom a place of mutual cultural respect, tolerance, and enrichment, while giving students the tools to operate "successfully" in American society? It is a shame that our culture prides English as much as it does, but it is a reality that we must face. So, what do we tell the native Spanish speaker who loves to read, yet has not developed the extensive vocabulary of the native English speaker next to him/her? Yes, perhaps my job would be to teach English, but to what extent? The native Spanish speaker may have a profound understanding of the common themes in literature, maybe even moreso than another English-speaking student, but to what extent would I recognize this understanding, if not communicated through "standard, middle-class English"? What if she communicates her ideas with outstanding precision--in Spanish?

IV. Belonging

Some may believe that an educator's sole job is to teach the respective material to students to develop understanding, skills, whatever. I agree with this description of responsibility, but as active workers in an environment as people-centered as a high school, those who work in schools would be remiss not to make strong efforts to create a sense of belonging in the high school. How does this come about, outside of the classroom? Would it be appropriate, or even effective, for teachers to try and develop students characters and ethical decision-making skills as well as a thriving storehouse of academic knowledge? (Note: When talking about "morals" and "ethics", I am referring to a more basic level of treating others with respect and academic integrity, not the gritty stuff dealt with in larger-scale politics). I'm considering beyond the basic classroom poster that says, "This is a safe zone." Is it important/good for teachers to discuss these issues with students?

V. Last thoughts...

Should higher level philosophy courses be taught at high schools? At which grades? Is this sort of inquiry dangerous? Would students rise to the challenge?