| Whitehall High School |
I did not enjoy high school much. I would describe Whitehall High School, according to Jean Anyon's article, as being the middle-class type. Getting good grades was directly connected to getting correct answers. For every question there was an answer, the correct answer, and if you did not get to that one answer you were wrong. Abstract thinking and brainstorming was not commonplace. I definitely felt the 'banking concept' from Freire's article was the norm. Although I was a good student I was rather shy and quiet throughout high school and I felt as if the teachers didn't remember I was there. Louder, more disruptive students took all of the teachers' attention. I was quite bored in most of my classes because the speed was very slow. I had a lot of English classes where all we did was read our required readings out loud. I read all the time and could have read the book 10 times over in the time it took us to go through it once in class. It seemed a lot like trying to get through the year. I had one English teacher who couldn't get the class to settle and stop talking. Her method was to say 'fine, if you don't want to learn then I won't teach.' The rest of that period was spent doing whatever we wanted. I wouldn't say it's a terrible school, at least while I was there, but it definitely could have been better. They way that every question had its one right answer has affected me ever since. Abstract thinking comes only with effort and distress comes when what is expected is not clearly defined. I did have a few really cool teachers. They would allow discussion more and actually seemed like they enjoyed their jobs. Unfortunately the teachers that weren't very enthusiastic outnumbered the ones that were. I must say that I don't remember most of what I was taught throughout high school. It was mostly just getting through day by day doing what was expected because it was expected. I think kids are born willing to learn everything and anything they can but going through bad schools slowing kills their inquisitive nature and eagerness to learn. Hopefully and education reform will actually be followed through to give the next generations a fighting chance.
Lynn,
ReplyDeleteI completely identify with your experience in English class! I always had a "school book," which was a book that I read when my classes were going too slowly. I crunched through hundreds of books in school while everyone else was reading out loud. I think this is why I turned out to be an English major and a teacher.
Do you think that the problem posing type of education could have saved you from boredom and behavior problems in the classroom?
Eileen
Hey Lynn I found a few things I could relate to in your blog. First when you said "teachers didn't remember I was there" this hit me because I feel their is definetly a disconnect between students and teachers. If a student is quiet they are often overlooked. The majority of teachers just don't care, they are like the students in the sense they just want to get through the day. The teacher is much more distracted with the disruptive students like you mentioned with the one English teacher who couldn't get the class to settle so instead of acknowledging the students willing to learn she gave up. I also liked your remark about children being born willing to learn and the bad schools destroying their willingness, I agree with you on that.
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