Teaching as a Subversive Activity

How does change happen?

We can be bullied into change. (peer pressure)

We can be persuaded into change. (political agendas)

We can surprised or shocked into change. (scared straight)

Or we can grow into change.

Seeds are planted. Some ground is more fertile than others and easily accept the seeds of change; others, less hospitable, choke out change. Still others, fall on dried, cracked earth, too hard to support life. Change needs the right conditions if it is to grow into a life.

What goes on under the surface is not easily seen, yet vital to the process of change. My classes have been studying soil and groundwater and we've learned that what lies beneath determines the quality of life on the surface.

As a teacher I see part of my role as someone who plants seeds - in hopes that someone else will come along and water these young seedlings and later someone else will bring in the harvest. But what I do and how I do this is not always evident on the surface. It's not a part of my lesson plans. It's not written in the textbooks we use or the homework that I assign. It is not "overt."

It is instead subversive. It is a gentle rebellion against the status quo that focuses solely on teaching to a state test; a quiet undermining of prescriptive teaching that eliminates the need to think; a deliberate challenge to the belief that all students can be taught the same way.

This may make some people nervous. After all, to be subversive, by definition, is to undermine. Parents, understandably, may fear that their values or worldviews are being undermined by teachers. In fact, there is little trust between certain groups because they believe one is intentionally undermining the authority of the other. Private versus public school; homeschool versus traditional schools; Christian versus secular.

Yet, each are subversive.

I do not march for the changes (although I would if any such marches existed these days).

I don't strike for these changes (teachers aren't allowed to strike).

I don't go on cable news shows as an education pundit (but I would) and talk over everyone else (the louder the better).

I don't lobby for these changes in legislative venues (although I'd be willing to testify before Congress any day).

I subvert the status quo through relationship - one student, one day at a time.

If nothing else, remember this one thing -

QUESTION EVERYTHING!

It's the only way to grow.

Losing My Accent

My family moved from New York (Staten Island) to Florida when I was in the 9th grade. Teenage adjustment aside, it was plain to me right away that I didn't fit. On the first day of school each of my teachers asked me to share a little bit about myself because they knew that I was "new." By the end of the day I vowed not to open my mouth again until I could talk more like my peers - my New York accent was not well received. The snickers and giggles that welcomed me to a Florida high school motivated me to find a way to lose my accent - and fast!

Orange

car

ask

all

father

How do you say these words?

When I arrived to Florida from New York, this is how I said them:

Are -ange

Caw

aks

awl

fatha

By the end of 9th grade I successfully rid myself of r-less words and Stallone-like pronunciations. However, when I went back to New York the following summer to visit my cousins they made fun of what they heard as a "Southern" accent. I made the mistake of saying "ya'all."

I no longer fit in New York. I wondered, and continue to wonder to this day, where do I really fit?

Adjustment to a new culture isn't easy. Without some strategies and resilient factors to strengthen you, the transition may not be a successful one.

How much of who we are do we relinquish when we step into a new culture? What do you hold onto and what do you lose? How important is it to be able to let go of a part of yourself in order to fit in? Or should we hold onto our identities even if it is to our detriment?

Our children face this with each school transition. They are, in fact, stepping into a new culture when they start school in kindergarten, when they move to middle school, when they move to high school, and later if they move to college.

We use what is called a "constant comparison" to find out who we are and where we belong. We look to the right and look to the left to see who we are "not" first. Who we are "not" may become the quest in some cases. For example, I knew I did not belong because when I looked to the right and looked to the left and listened, I did not sound like everyone else. In that case, I strongly desired to become what I was not.

Becoming what you are not isn't always a good thing. As parents we fear our children becoming something "alien" to what our family culture has prescribed. We cringe when they begin to dress differently, speak differently or act differently. It scares us. We're afraid they've lost who they were WITH us.

It took a long time to convince my family in New York that I was still the Vicki they knew even though I no longer sounded like her. In reality, it was up to me to show them that I was still the same person; it was not up to them to accept me.

I find, however, that when I am with my family in New York, my accent returns. When I'm passionate about something, my accent slips in. When I speak too quickly, my accent reveals itself. I speak the way I do in order to be successful where I am. The ability to transition from one culture to another is a positive coping strategy. Our children need to learn how to transition as well.

The key is to learn how to lose your accent without losing who you are.

Our children are in a constant state of transition. Support them as they learn how to be successful in their new culture. Maintain a positive relationship and bond, show them ways to transition, remind them that who they are is a wonderful thing, and remember that when they come home they are still who they were - they just may talk a little different!

Conference Time

We're six weeks into the school year and parents and teachers are coming to the table to talk. Just thought I'd include a few reminders for all of us.

Read article in its entirety.

How to Talk So Teachers Will Listen
by Vicki Caruana

Reprinted from the April/May 2004 issue of the National PTA Magazine "Our Children"

Education is all about relationship-teachers in relationship with children; parents in relationship with children; and parents in relationship with teachers. The health of these relationships can positively or negatively affect the academic success of the child. And after all, it is all about the child.

Miscommunication is probably the biggest obstacle to a healthy relationship, and parents and teachers are no exception. Notes home disappear in the black hole we call the backpack. Telephone tag is the most popular game. And e-mails are easily put off or misinterpreted. Face-to-face conferences are the best way to build better relationships with teachers, but two obstacles face that meeting: lack of time and lack of understanding.

Teachers and parents are on the same team-most just don't know it. If parents and teachers are really to partner in the education of a child, they must first set the groundwork for a strong relationship. As much as parents would prefer that teachers take the first step in forming this crucial relationship, they shouldn't wait for it. If there are problems that need to be resolved, parents can follow these suggestions toward mutual resolution. Teachers do not receive enough preparation about how to work with parents, so keep this in mind as you nurture these fragile, yet important relationships.

Read more.