(no subject)
One of the teachers in the teacher lounge at lunch today was in a black, black mood. The reason? He does not feel capable of teaching an Honors class effectively. He doesn’t know (or thinks he doesn’t know) what to do with them. This shocked me-obviously, I have my own bias, for I always thought that all English teachers wanted to teach Honors or AP rather than lower achievement levels. I assumed that there was some sort of haggling over who would receive the desired classes and who was “stuck” with the others. The discussion that ensued after this teacher’s revelation was fascinating. A Social Studies teacher who teaches Honors and AP expressed that he teaches these levels partially because he doesn’t “react appropriately” to the behavior of the other students. He gets so frustrated by constantly dealing with behavior management issues that it carries into his attitude toward the class. We then discussed the various challenges to each level, such as how grades are not the same motivating factor in Standard classes that they are in the Honors, but in the Standard classes you have to deal with “know it all-ism” and more parental pressure, especially in terms of content knowledge and coverage.
I suppose that I have known the whole time that there are different challenges; I just made the assumption that the challenges I prefer align with the preferences of other teachers. Perhaps we want to teach the students to whom we relate the most, but is that really the case? Why am I more interested in Honors classes? For me, the main factor is the attitude present in the classes. At least in my student teaching experience, the main distinction between the Standard classes and the Honors classes is the overall attitude. The Honors students (again, this is generalizing, it is not true for every student) feel at home in the classroom and trust that the teachers are assigning meaningful work that will benefit them. The Standard students do not feel comfortable in class (this has improved somewhat over the semester) and they view teacher activities with suspicion, thinking that the activities are pointless and boring, and that the teachers are trying to trick them into working. It frustrates me-the same rationale that appeals to the Honors class does not invigorate the Standard class because they do not care to develop critical reading skills or what have you. Even activities intended to tie school to other, more compelling interests and experiences (such as writing about their identity or recording pieces of their lives) are met with groans and disinterest. I know it is part of my job to work to make school more valuable for my students, but it is such an uphill battle, and it is one that I feel will exhaust me in a few years.
It actually heartens me that my assumption was incorrect. This means that getting the classes I want may be easier than previously supposed.
I suppose that I have known the whole time that there are different challenges; I just made the assumption that the challenges I prefer align with the preferences of other teachers. Perhaps we want to teach the students to whom we relate the most, but is that really the case? Why am I more interested in Honors classes? For me, the main factor is the attitude present in the classes. At least in my student teaching experience, the main distinction between the Standard classes and the Honors classes is the overall attitude. The Honors students (again, this is generalizing, it is not true for every student) feel at home in the classroom and trust that the teachers are assigning meaningful work that will benefit them. The Standard students do not feel comfortable in class (this has improved somewhat over the semester) and they view teacher activities with suspicion, thinking that the activities are pointless and boring, and that the teachers are trying to trick them into working. It frustrates me-the same rationale that appeals to the Honors class does not invigorate the Standard class because they do not care to develop critical reading skills or what have you. Even activities intended to tie school to other, more compelling interests and experiences (such as writing about their identity or recording pieces of their lives) are met with groans and disinterest. I know it is part of my job to work to make school more valuable for my students, but it is such an uphill battle, and it is one that I feel will exhaust me in a few years.
It actually heartens me that my assumption was incorrect. This means that getting the classes I want may be easier than previously supposed.