I found this question about achievement to be very interesting, especially based on the varying responses to "what do you consider to be your greatest achievements in life?" Adults with partners and children valued a healthy, happy family before their careers or other accomplishments along the way. The achievements they valued in others had more to do with the latter--big career shifts, getting to travel, degrees, etc. I asked some students closer to my own age and their responses revealed completely different priorities or successes based on current life experience. None have serious partners, though they may be planning for that in the future. Their answers were based on challenges in school or other extra-curricular time. I noted this difference out loud in an interview and a friend explained that most of her experiences and achievements are based on short-term activities or goals, and that maybe one day she'll be able to look back at a job or a family she's been committed to for 10 years--long enough to say it's one of her proudest accomplishments. She did, however, feel that her involvement in activism over the past 3-4 years was important because of the extended length of time she spent working for a cause, improving her approach, and reflecting on her learning.
The younger folks I interviewed about their teachers and curriculum noted that a lot of their assignments required them to call upon their families for help, but there was not much connection to other socializing factors (media, peers, religion, etc.). I reflected on my own years in public school and drew many, many connections to religious practice being supported and encouraged in the school, but a very limited understanding of faith and church.
One elementary assignment that this process made me think about was a 5th-grade book project. Each student had to write a story, illustrate the pages and eventually bind a 20-something page book. We had all the freedom in the world to determine what the story would be about--make believe, an autobiography, a story we'd heard somewhere else... it allowed us to bring in all sorts of life experience and decide what was important enough to us to include in those pages. There was a lot of support along the way for improving our writing skills, but I remember feeling very liberated in my creativity.
The last piece I'd like to discuss is my experience with the word "power" throughout these interviews. When speaking with youth I had very interesting reactions to the word, often needing to rephrase the questions to something like "when do you feel like you have choice?" Or, "when do you feel like you're given the opportunity to change how something is going so that it fits your wants or needs better?" The concept of power is very narrow for many of us. Power and agency are big ideas, and they aren't things I was exposed to until late in high school and much more in college. As much as I see a dominant ideology based on individualism in the United States, I don't see us stress the power and influence we have to change our circumstances when we are oppressed or might end up challenging a power than governs our lives. Very interesting... what if students saw themselves as agents of change, capable of determining the quality of their educational experiences?
Makes me think of the Washington state League of Education Voters' Student Bill of Rights. (Go Maggie!)
http://www.educationvoters.org/campaign/billofrights/
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4 comments:
yeaaaaaah!
Larkin,
Your last question is an important one. I grew up with a mom who constantly told me that I could do or become whatever I wanted. My mom also told me that I was in control of what I became in life from a very early age. Looking back, I think that this made me feel pretty optimistic when I met challenges. Being exposed to the idea that I had the power to change my circumstances made me think about what changes I wanted to make.
So...if we expose a large number of students to the idea of being agents of change in their own lives, will we empower them?
What will happen if a parent that is invested in a 'victim' approach to life, or a very pessimistic parent, objects to us suggesting that institutions may be challenged?
I believe that, as a teacher, I'd like to introduce optimism and power to my students. I'm curious how I'll do that without getting into trouble...
Larkin,
I find it interesting that the younger children that you intervewed noted that assignments required them to call upon their families. I think this is key in including the parents in their childs education, but what about the children who don't have that support at home? I would like to think that we as teachers could fill this role but is that realistic?
Do children not comprehend the concept of power because they aren't introduced to the idea until later in life? What if we made more democratic classrooms for young children so they develop an understanding of power?
Patrick
I enjoyed reading about your experiences with books...It does seem that people's sense of what it means to achieve changes over time and that aspects of their life that have lasted the test of time gain in importance to people. Relationships clearly grow in importance as they last. Hurdles to gaining stability in one's life are at the forefront early on. An interesting comment and distinction between religious practice and faith. Does that mean you went to religious schools growing up? Or how might you have seen public schools supporting religious practice without influencing faith? Others have similarly commented on the connection between freedom and the opportunity to be creative. Perhaps an important lesson for us as teachers! What other things can we do to help our students feel a sense of power in their lives? In HS we have the chance to be part of students' lives when they are breaking away from their parental influences. How does that influence your thinking as a teacher hoping to develop students' sense of power?
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