The essay, "Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route," by Jeannie Oakes really struck a chord with me. As the differences between low-ability and high-ability classrooms, content, and teaching were described, I was reminded of my own experiences as a student.
In low-ability classes, for example, teachers seem to be less encouraging and more punitive, placing more emphasis on discipline and behavior and less on academic learning . . . they seem to be more concerned about getting students to follow directions, be on time, and sit quietly . . . When they're not being disruptive, students in low-ability classes are often apathetic. The reason for this may be that because they're more likely to fail, they risk more by trying.
I am an intelligent person. As an adolescent, I read for pleasure, and had a talent for creative writing. I possessed good reasoning and analytic skills. I was a fast learner. I was diagnosed with ADD as I was often distracted in class. Really I think I was bored. The content wasn't stimulating to me, nor were the teachers. They fit the descriptions in the quote above. I acted out in school, furious with my teachers for various reasons. Once, a certain English teacher accused me of not handing in an assignment I knew I had. This particular teacher's desk was piled high with papers in disorganized stacks. I told her I had handed it to her prior to the due date. She would not admit that she may have lost my paper and refused to even look for it again, still insisting that I had not given it to her. She was rude, as many of my teachers were in Tiverton, so I was rude back. I was often suspended, and labeled as a troubled child. I was kept back in seventh grade and had to go to summer school to pass the eighth grade because I continuously refused to learn from these teachers who didn't respect me, care about me, or believe in me.
In [high-ability classes], critical thinking and problem-solving skills seemed to emerge from the high quality of the course content . . . top-track classes spend more class time on learning activities and less on discipline, socializing, or class routine . . . Their teachers tend to be more enthusiastic , to make instructions clearer, and to use strong criticism or ridicule less frequently than teachers of low-ability classes. Classroom tasks are often better organized, and students are given a greater variety of things to do.
I moved to Vermont my sophomore year of high school. At U-32, things were different, they were so much better! I fell in love with school. The teachers were excited about the content, they respected the students, cared about them, believed in them. Critical thinking was incorporated and encouraged in the classroom. Silly rules like not being able to wear hats or chew gum, which never really made much sense to me, were abandoned. Teachers were referred to by first name, which I think really created a sense that teachers and students could be on the same level, could relate. My teachers were no longer boring or rude, they were passionate and kind. I rose to be consistently on the honor role, and enjoyed being an active participant in class. I developed positive relationships with many of my teachers. This turn-around I experienced was entirely due to the kind of education I was receiving here, compared to the kind I had received in Tiverton schools.
Unless teachers and administrators believe and expect all students to learn well, they will be unlikely to create school and classroom conditions where students believe in their own ability and exert the effort it takes to succeed.
Having experienced both sides of the learning spectrum is part of what fuels my passion for becoming an educator. I want to be one less teacher who abuses his/her students by disrespecting and under-estimating them, who causes them to shut down and refuse to learn. I want to be one more teacher who shows his/her students passion and possibility, who makes learning fun and exciting. It was this sentiment, for me, that Oakes spoke to.
In class I would love to hear others share similar stories in which a teacher's positive or negative attitude made a difference for them and how they were able to learn.
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