Coach Mac and a Learning Environment
Teaching and learning are amazing things, which is why I am a firm believer that the best teachers are the best learners and the best learners make the best teachers. There should always be a recipricol relationship between the "teacher" and the "student". Each must feel respected and appreciated in order for the magic of learning to take place. A key part of this relationship is the importance of a learning environment, a place where this recipricol relationship can flourish.
Too often I hear arguments complaining about how our government spends too much time, money and energy trying to reach young people who, "just don't want to learn," and who "don't appreciate their education." Oftentimes, young people from underserved communities are given as examples of students who "just don't want to learn," and would rather be dealing drugs, having sex, or getting into trouble.
Individuals who make such arguments clearly do not understand the idea of a learning environment or the need to appeal to different learning styles; styles that are developed through one's upbringing, background, home life, life experiences, and genuine interests. Everybody wants to learn. I will repeat...EVERYBODY WANTS TO LEARN. Everybody appreciates an education. I repeat...EVERYBODY APPRECIATES AN EDUCATION. The challenge is young people are faced with multiple opportunities to learn each day and to receive an education. They can learn to read or learn to play XBox. They can learn to deal drugs or they can learn to multiply. They can learn how to be better at sex or they can learn how a bill becomes a law. They ask themselves how to reach the balance of, which education is the most fun? vs. which education will provide me with the most opportunities? vs. which education interests me? vs. which education can I relate to?
The human mind absorbs things, especially young minds, and it is the job of an educator to create an environment where a student's education makes them feel appreciated, respected, like their on a path to greatness, like their existence and thoughts matter and make a difference. That is the challenge educators face.
It is a wonderful challenge I face while working for the Close Up Foundation. The organization works with students of a wide variety and from all walks of life. We engage them in what has traditionally, and unfortunately been one of the most drab subjects, government and civics.
A former program instructor for the Close Up Foundation, named Shana McClanaghan, recently became a DC Teaching Fellow. She took her skills to the next level and started teaching in one of the country's most troubled and failing school districts; a school disctrict filled with students who, to some, "just don't want to learn."
After Shana left the foundation for DC Public Schools, I really wanted to get her perspective and hear some of her stories about what her experience had been like thus far. It took a while for her to respond, but finally, I heard from her. What she wrote to me elucidated the point that DCPS is not doing good enough in creating a learning environment for students. Shana is battling to reach young people that have been swallowed up in a school district that is either struggling to demonstrate there appreciation for young people. Here is what she wrote:
Too often I hear arguments complaining about how our government spends too much time, money and energy trying to reach young people who, "just don't want to learn," and who "don't appreciate their education." Oftentimes, young people from underserved communities are given as examples of students who "just don't want to learn," and would rather be dealing drugs, having sex, or getting into trouble.
Individuals who make such arguments clearly do not understand the idea of a learning environment or the need to appeal to different learning styles; styles that are developed through one's upbringing, background, home life, life experiences, and genuine interests. Everybody wants to learn. I will repeat...EVERYBODY WANTS TO LEARN. Everybody appreciates an education. I repeat...EVERYBODY APPRECIATES AN EDUCATION. The challenge is young people are faced with multiple opportunities to learn each day and to receive an education. They can learn to read or learn to play XBox. They can learn to deal drugs or they can learn to multiply. They can learn how to be better at sex or they can learn how a bill becomes a law. They ask themselves how to reach the balance of, which education is the most fun? vs. which education will provide me with the most opportunities? vs. which education interests me? vs. which education can I relate to?
The human mind absorbs things, especially young minds, and it is the job of an educator to create an environment where a student's education makes them feel appreciated, respected, like their on a path to greatness, like their existence and thoughts matter and make a difference. That is the challenge educators face.
It is a wonderful challenge I face while working for the Close Up Foundation. The organization works with students of a wide variety and from all walks of life. We engage them in what has traditionally, and unfortunately been one of the most drab subjects, government and civics.
A former program instructor for the Close Up Foundation, named Shana McClanaghan, recently became a DC Teaching Fellow. She took her skills to the next level and started teaching in one of the country's most troubled and failing school districts; a school disctrict filled with students who, to some, "just don't want to learn."
After Shana left the foundation for DC Public Schools, I really wanted to get her perspective and hear some of her stories about what her experience had been like thus far. It took a while for her to respond, but finally, I heard from her. What she wrote to me elucidated the point that DCPS is not doing good enough in creating a learning environment for students. Shana is battling to reach young people that have been swallowed up in a school district that is either struggling to demonstrate there appreciation for young people. Here is what she wrote:
"Anyway, I have story after story to tell you about my teaching job. It is the hardest job that I have ever had; hands down. I am working in Anacostia and teach special education to 15 boys who have disabilites across the board. The main disability (which isn't really a disability) is their behavior. Out of control. I am called a white b**ch every day and have 7 boys who are in gangs (opposing gangs). They have found ammunition in my room (which has no walls) and 2 of my students have been suspended for 10 days (not expelled?) for bringing in guns. Fights were breaking out in my room at least 3 times a day in the beginning, although that is subsiding (I guess I'm getting better at building a community environment in my room). I have been hit (accidentally) by a student and questioned by the FBI who are investigating gang violence in SE. Luckily, overall, I think the kids respect me...believe it or not. I cried everyday for the first 2 months and wine was becoming my best friend! I didn't think I was reaching them at all, because I could not even teach them anything. The only thing I could do was break up hostilities all day long. Then, I realized that I just have to do the best that I can do and in the end I will hopefully feel that I made a difference.
"Julie was telling me how you use preseason and postseason in your speech to the students....incorporating sports into learing....and I do the same thing! Because I have 15 boys obsessed with football, everything is associated with sports. They call me Coach Mac.
I admire Shana for taking a step in the right direction of creating that learning environment. I admire her for sticking with a school system that constantly sends the message, to both students and teachers, to just give up. The district's education system demonstrates, time and time again, to both teachers and students, that a satisfactory learning environment will not have materials, books, walls, clean hallways, or a decent wage. There are teachers in this system, like Shana, who realize that they must overcome such oppression from the top and work with one of the best tools that we all have, the creative mind. It is not that young people "just dont appreciate their education" it is that they just dont want to learn in an environment that disrespects their willingness to learn. Fortunately, there are people like Shana who can reach students, even in a troubled learning environment."You really don't have any restrictions teaching in DC. You could do whatever you wanted and administration wouldn't care or even know. You have no choice but to be creative because you don't have paper, a copy machine, books...etc. No one has asked me for the students reports cards yet...."
Young people are natural learners, we just need more people like Shana to let them know that their education understands that, takes advantage of that, appreciates and respects that.
Peace Out,
Daryn
posted by Daryn Cambridge at 11:18 AM
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