July 22, 2008
Technicolor wrote in a blog post:
“What are we as educators doing to ensure that the students that sit before us during the school day are going to ready for what they are to face when we are no longer there for them.”
My comment:
Make sure that you teach a hidden curriculum. Take a look at the school curriculum for your class and create a curriculum that stands up behind it. Never start off with I am going to teach about Harriet Tubman. Start off with I am going to teach about courage. Never start off with I am going to teach them how to write a letter to the President. Start off with I will empower them to make change. Most importantly, stop calling your class by its name-Soc Stud, Math, Sci, Eng, whatever-call it life. I teach life. I use social studies to do it. Kids will remember life skills, they won’t remember social studies skills.
Every year I teach, I come to believe that more and more. Especially this year after reading my students evaluations at the end of the year. I hesitate to place this video here, something I have been fooling around with for next year, but I offer it as proof that you will change lives, if you teach life.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
What a powerful comment about the hidden curriculum! I’ve been reflecting on your suggestion that we redirect our focus from the rote facts to the bigger, underlying themes. I’d like to add that not only do we “teach life,” we also should teach how to question - even to the point of questioning our teachers and experts and ourselves. Intelligent (and respectful) examination leads to change and progress, but maintaining the status quo and dabbling with safe details lead to paralysis. Thanks for making me think!
August 14th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
You comment is exactly what I was thinking when I wrote my new post today. Thank you for the comment.