This week, I presented a large final project to my high school students. The immediate crowd reaction was AWFUL!
"But Miss Greene, why are we doing this?"
"We never had to things like this last year."
"Can't we just cook and call it good?"
"Do you think I'm ever going to remember all of this?"
These are just a few of the awesome comments I got after passing out the instruction page & points breakdown. Of course, I had a pretty good idea that they were going to react this way. I knew that they were going to be upset over the fact that I was going to make them exert some effort and do some critical thinking. But heaven forbid that I, their teacher, have expectations of them, my students!
I knew that most of their comments were said in an effort to get me to rethink my decision to assign this project, as if that is EVER going to happen! But they really made me dig deep and think about WHY I was assigning this project for them to complete. So I went back to their questions and tried to come up with some answers.
"We never had to things like this last year."
Ahh, the dreaded comment spewed to all first year teachers. I usually just brush this one off and remind them that I am not their teacher from last year. It is also not a valid argument because, once again, I AM NOT THAT TEACHER! End of story.
"Can't we just cook and call it good?"
Yet another comment that most, if not all, FCS teachers have heard at some point in time. My simple response is, no we can't just cook and call it good. We cook to reinforce what we are learning. We don't cook for me to teach you to cook; you need to take Mrs. Gibson's classes if that's what you want to learn! Sorry Mrs. Gibson! :)
"Do you think I'm ever going to remember all of this?"
No. I don't think that you are going to remember all of the little things I teach you, like which vitamins are fat soluble and which are water soluble. But I guarantee you will be able to remember that milk has calcium and phosphorous in it, which is why it's good for your bones. And if I were to ask them what disease they would get if they didn't consume enough calcium, they would be able to answer with a resounding "Osteoporosis!" And that's enough for me to feel good about what I'm teaching and what they're absorbing.
"But Miss Greene, why are we doing this?"
As a first year teacher, I feel like I struggle with this question a LOT! I think it's compounded because of my subject area. I am VERY lucky to teach Family & Consumer Sciences, an area where there are no standardized tests to prepare my students for and no standards or benchmarks that they HAVE to be meeting for me to keep my job. But this freedom, or lack of accountability, is its own double edged sword. Not having these benchmarks or goals to hold me accountable makes it very hard for me to focus on exactly what I want my kids to walk away with. It's hard for ME to answer the "why are we doing this" question, but I have come up with a pretty general, temporary answer. I know that a more definite answer will come as I spend more time in the classroom, more time looking at the scope and sequence of my courses, and more time analyzing what my kids NEED to leave with. But until then, my students and I will have to be content with the best answer I have: Because it's important for you to know.
I do have to say, that after a few days of them really digging into the project and putting forth some effort, they have stopped complaining and really taken ownership of what they are doing. Yes, sometimes they completely lose focus or ask me a question that is clearly answered in the directions, but at least they are engaged (for the most part) in what they are working on. If I can keep them hooked, keep them interested, and keep them excited, then they can start to see the importance of the information. And that's when they will be able to answer the age old question, "Why are we doing this?" without any response from me.
"But Miss Greene, why are we doing this?"
"We never had to things like this last year."
"Can't we just cook and call it good?"
"Do you think I'm ever going to remember all of this?"
These are just a few of the awesome comments I got after passing out the instruction page & points breakdown. Of course, I had a pretty good idea that they were going to react this way. I knew that they were going to be upset over the fact that I was going to make them exert some effort and do some critical thinking. But heaven forbid that I, their teacher, have expectations of them, my students!
I knew that most of their comments were said in an effort to get me to rethink my decision to assign this project, as if that is EVER going to happen! But they really made me dig deep and think about WHY I was assigning this project for them to complete. So I went back to their questions and tried to come up with some answers.
"We never had to things like this last year."
Ahh, the dreaded comment spewed to all first year teachers. I usually just brush this one off and remind them that I am not their teacher from last year. It is also not a valid argument because, once again, I AM NOT THAT TEACHER! End of story.
"Can't we just cook and call it good?"
Yet another comment that most, if not all, FCS teachers have heard at some point in time. My simple response is, no we can't just cook and call it good. We cook to reinforce what we are learning. We don't cook for me to teach you to cook; you need to take Mrs. Gibson's classes if that's what you want to learn! Sorry Mrs. Gibson! :)
"Do you think I'm ever going to remember all of this?"
No. I don't think that you are going to remember all of the little things I teach you, like which vitamins are fat soluble and which are water soluble. But I guarantee you will be able to remember that milk has calcium and phosphorous in it, which is why it's good for your bones. And if I were to ask them what disease they would get if they didn't consume enough calcium, they would be able to answer with a resounding "Osteoporosis!" And that's enough for me to feel good about what I'm teaching and what they're absorbing.
"But Miss Greene, why are we doing this?"
As a first year teacher, I feel like I struggle with this question a LOT! I think it's compounded because of my subject area. I am VERY lucky to teach Family & Consumer Sciences, an area where there are no standardized tests to prepare my students for and no standards or benchmarks that they HAVE to be meeting for me to keep my job. But this freedom, or lack of accountability, is its own double edged sword. Not having these benchmarks or goals to hold me accountable makes it very hard for me to focus on exactly what I want my kids to walk away with. It's hard for ME to answer the "why are we doing this" question, but I have come up with a pretty general, temporary answer. I know that a more definite answer will come as I spend more time in the classroom, more time looking at the scope and sequence of my courses, and more time analyzing what my kids NEED to leave with. But until then, my students and I will have to be content with the best answer I have: Because it's important for you to know.
I do have to say, that after a few days of them really digging into the project and putting forth some effort, they have stopped complaining and really taken ownership of what they are doing. Yes, sometimes they completely lose focus or ask me a question that is clearly answered in the directions, but at least they are engaged (for the most part) in what they are working on. If I can keep them hooked, keep them interested, and keep them excited, then they can start to see the importance of the information. And that's when they will be able to answer the age old question, "Why are we doing this?" without any response from me.