In this chapter, Keene comments on the different types of children we encounter throughout the years. They all usually start out in Kindergarten as eager and interactive participants in the learning process. Then, for some of them, they continue throughout the years in the pleasurable and intoxicating love of learning whereas others lose the glow and the passion. What happens when this occurs? Is it because of the testing culture? Is it because of us as teachers? Is it normal development for some of them to become more interested in social development and the intellectual development becomes boring? I, personally, have heard teachers comment that the kids come into Kindergarten very widespread in their intellectual abilities but by the time they reach sixth grade, they are all in the same ball park intellectually. I have to ask: Why? Is this what we do when we lump a group of 20 or so kids in one room and teach whole group? Is this our goal as teachers? Should we be concerned about this? While this appears so negative, I cannot always come down on ourselves as teachers. The past doesn't look so great, but when I consider the present and the future with so much emphasis on differentiated instruction, and teaching kids on their level, I feel for classroom teachers. That is a very difficult task for one person to accomplish. In reality, I don't think it can be done. If teachers manage to teach different groups of kids in differing levels of reading and spelling, I think they are really doing well. To differentiate in everything, classroom teachers would be so exhausted by the end of the day!! As I work shoulder to shoulder with them every day, I think they have an enormous task and one which cannot be attained other than by word only.
Keene also pursues the idea of creating Renaissance kids in our classrooms. While I agree that it's a good idea to teach kids the "think outside the box" in inventing new thinking, pursuing a wide range of interests, etc. I see how easily Renaissance thinkers can come up against the ethical dilemmas that rampage throughout society-then and now. In a sense we can look at the banking crisis we have today and draw a comparison. There were individuals who were trying to think outside the box and came up with lots of ways to "do business". Other people, the consumers, did not do enough thinking outside the box, and thus took on loans and mortgages they couldn't afford. What were both the bankers and consumers motivated by? One word...greed So now I'm back to a similar question I had asked in another chapter...what is it that makes one person a Renaissance thinker but another person someone who doesn't think at all? There has to be a motivating factor inside each and every one of us. And if our motivation is less than worthy, our society can certainly turn into one big mess, which we see in our economy today. I'm sure each of you have views on these issues, but to me, having balance and standards are key concepts in "Renaissance thinking" that should not be overlooked.
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One of my coworkers make a simple statement last week that has resonated in my mind ever since. We were discussing the absolute monstrosity that is morning recess duty, and were trying to come up with a new strategy for controlling the masses. As we were tossing around possible solution strategies and complaining about the current system, my colleague said "There's ALWAYS a better way. No matter what, there's alays a better way." This is what I was thinking as I read your post, Deb, and Barb's comment. Even we, as teachers, sometimes have a hard time thinking outside the box. When faced with changing something that's been done for the last 20 years, it's hard to think of something new!! But my colleague is right...no matter what you do, there's ALWAYS a better way.
ReplyDeleteDeb and Barb raised some important issues. We have created "robots" in a way. In Strategies that Work, I read that children enter kindergarten with many questions. We constantly yell at them for talking. By the time they are in middle school, we are yelling at them for doing nothing. They have learned not to ask questions. It has promoted passivism. This situation is so ironic. We need to cultivate "Renaissance thinkers".
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