The Things We Steal From Children
Maisha Khalfani
Please read below. It was sent to me - I certainly didn't write it. I wish I had - It's profound.
Maisha
http://www.geocities.com/maitai373/EarthSpirit.html<http://www.geocities.com/maitai373/EarthSpirit.html>
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com/<http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com/>
"Don't be afraid of showing affection. Be warm and tender, thoughtful and affectionate. Mankind is more helped by sympathy than by service. Love is more than money, and a kind word will give more pleasure than a present."
~ Jean Baptiste Lacordaire
*************************************************************************************************************************************************
http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/gifttal/EAGER/Dr%20John%20Edwards.html<http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/gifttal/EAGER/Dr%20John%20Edwards.html>
The Things We Steal From Children
Dr John Edwards
My teacher should have ridden with Jesse James,
My teacher should have ridden with Jesse James,
My teacher should have ridden with Jesse James,
For all the things she stole from me.
Poem by a 12 year old
Australian student
One evening, on returning from lecturing to my
students, my wife asked me: "And what did you steal
from your students today?" The question rocked me, and
as I examined my practice under her skilful
questioning, I realised how much of the processes I
kept for myself.
So we sat down and together we wrote the following:
If I am always the one to think of where to go next.
If where we go is always the decision of the
curriculum or my curiosity and not theirs.
If motivation is mine.
If I always decide on the topic to be studied, the
title of the story, the problem to be worked on
If I am always the one who has reviewed their work and
decided what they need.
How will they ever know how to begin?
If I am the one who is always monitoring progress.
If I set the pace of all working discussions.
If I always look ahead, foresee problems and endeavour
to eliminate them.
If I swoop in and save them from cognitive conflict.
If I never allow them to feel and use the energy from
confusion and frustration. If things are always broken
into short working periods.
If myself and others are allowed to break into their
concentration.
If bells and I are always in control of the pace and
flow of work
How will they learn to continue their own work?
If all the marking and editing is done by me.
If the selection of which work is to be published or
evaluated is made by me.
If what is valued and valuable is always decided by
external sources or by me.
If there is no forum to discuss what delights them in
their task, what is working, what is not working, what
they plan to do about it.
If they have not learned a language to discuss their
work in ways that are intrinsically growth enhancing.
If they do not have a language of self-assessment.
If ways of communicating their work are always
controlled by me.
If our assessments are mainly summative rather than
formative.
If they do not plan their way forward to further
action.
How will they find ownership, direction and delight in
what they do?
If I speak of individuals but present learning as if
they are all the same.
If I am never seen to reflect and reflection time is
never provided.
If we never speak together about reflection and
thinking and never develop a vocabulary for such
discussion.
If we do not take opportunities to think about our
thinking.
If I constantly set them exercises that do not
intellectually challenge them.
If I set up learning environments that interfere with
them learning from their own actions.
If I give them recipes to follow.
If I only expect the one right conclusion.
If I signify that there are always right and wrong
answers.
If I never openly respect their thoughts.
If I never let them persevere with something really
difficult which they cannot master.
If I make all work serious work and discourage
playfulness.
If there is no time to explore.
If I lock them into adult time constraints too early.
How will they get to know themselves as a thinker?
If they never get to help anyone else.
If we force them to always work and play with children
of the same age.
If I do not teach them the skills of working
co-operatively.
If collaboration can be seen as cheating.
If all classroom activities are based in
competitiveness.
If everything is seen to be for marks.
How will they learn to work with others?
For if they
have never experienced being challenged in a safe
environment.
have had all of their creative thoughts explained
away.
are unaware what catches their interest and how then
to have confidence in that interest.
have never followed something they are passionate
about to a satisfying conclusion.
have not clarified the way they sabotage their own
learning.
are afraid to seek help and do not know who or how to
ask.
have not experienced overcoming their own inertia.
are paralysed by the need to know everything before
writing or acting.
have never got bogged down.
have never failed.
have always played it safe.
How will they ever know who they are?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Maisha
http://www.geocities.com/maitai373/EarthSpirit.html<http://www.geocities.com/maitai373/EarthSpirit.html>
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com/<http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com/>
"Don't be afraid of showing affection. Be warm and tender, thoughtful and affectionate. Mankind is more helped by sympathy than by service. Love is more than money, and a kind word will give more pleasure than a present."
~ Jean Baptiste Lacordaire
*************************************************************************************************************************************************
http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/gifttal/EAGER/Dr%20John%20Edwards.html<http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/gifttal/EAGER/Dr%20John%20Edwards.html>
The Things We Steal From Children
Dr John Edwards
My teacher should have ridden with Jesse James,
My teacher should have ridden with Jesse James,
My teacher should have ridden with Jesse James,
For all the things she stole from me.
Poem by a 12 year old
Australian student
One evening, on returning from lecturing to my
students, my wife asked me: "And what did you steal
from your students today?" The question rocked me, and
as I examined my practice under her skilful
questioning, I realised how much of the processes I
kept for myself.
So we sat down and together we wrote the following:
If I am always the one to think of where to go next.
If where we go is always the decision of the
curriculum or my curiosity and not theirs.
If motivation is mine.
If I always decide on the topic to be studied, the
title of the story, the problem to be worked on
If I am always the one who has reviewed their work and
decided what they need.
How will they ever know how to begin?
If I am the one who is always monitoring progress.
If I set the pace of all working discussions.
If I always look ahead, foresee problems and endeavour
to eliminate them.
If I swoop in and save them from cognitive conflict.
If I never allow them to feel and use the energy from
confusion and frustration. If things are always broken
into short working periods.
If myself and others are allowed to break into their
concentration.
If bells and I are always in control of the pace and
flow of work
How will they learn to continue their own work?
If all the marking and editing is done by me.
If the selection of which work is to be published or
evaluated is made by me.
If what is valued and valuable is always decided by
external sources or by me.
If there is no forum to discuss what delights them in
their task, what is working, what is not working, what
they plan to do about it.
If they have not learned a language to discuss their
work in ways that are intrinsically growth enhancing.
If they do not have a language of self-assessment.
If ways of communicating their work are always
controlled by me.
If our assessments are mainly summative rather than
formative.
If they do not plan their way forward to further
action.
How will they find ownership, direction and delight in
what they do?
If I speak of individuals but present learning as if
they are all the same.
If I am never seen to reflect and reflection time is
never provided.
If we never speak together about reflection and
thinking and never develop a vocabulary for such
discussion.
If we do not take opportunities to think about our
thinking.
If I constantly set them exercises that do not
intellectually challenge them.
If I set up learning environments that interfere with
them learning from their own actions.
If I give them recipes to follow.
If I only expect the one right conclusion.
If I signify that there are always right and wrong
answers.
If I never openly respect their thoughts.
If I never let them persevere with something really
difficult which they cannot master.
If I make all work serious work and discourage
playfulness.
If there is no time to explore.
If I lock them into adult time constraints too early.
How will they get to know themselves as a thinker?
If they never get to help anyone else.
If we force them to always work and play with children
of the same age.
If I do not teach them the skills of working
co-operatively.
If collaboration can be seen as cheating.
If all classroom activities are based in
competitiveness.
If everything is seen to be for marks.
How will they learn to work with others?
For if they
have never experienced being challenged in a safe
environment.
have had all of their creative thoughts explained
away.
are unaware what catches their interest and how then
to have confidence in that interest.
have never followed something they are passionate
about to a satisfying conclusion.
have not clarified the way they sabotage their own
learning.
are afraid to seek help and do not know who or how to
ask.
have not experienced overcoming their own inertia.
are paralysed by the need to know everything before
writing or acting.
have never got bogged down.
have never failed.
have always played it safe.
How will they ever know who they are?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
That's pretty good for teacher stuff! <g>
I liked this 'verse' especially, but even there, it can be boiled
down to
I liked this 'verse' especially, but even there, it can be boiled
down to
> If I do not teach them...
> How will they learn?
On Apr 25, 2006, at 5:39 AM, Maisha Khalfani wrote:
> If they never get to help anyone else.
> If we force them to always work and play with children of the same
> age.
> If I do not teach them the skills of working co-operatively.
> If collaboration can be seen as cheating.
> If all classroom activities are based in competitiveness.
> If everything is seen to be for marks.
> How will they learn to work with others?
(line 3, and the last line)
Even someone with that much awareness can still feel that they must
be taught.
And the last verse is quite pro-school, and pro-frustration, and pro-
pressure in ways I'm sure the author/teacher would justify for hours.
The fantasy environment being spun out there is better than school,
but it's still school.
I'm glad there are school reformers, for sure, and glad there are
things out there to help teachers think too, so that they don't have
their creativity and potential stolen by the courses teachers are
expected to follow without thinking. But it's just another way to
tweak school.
Sandra