Teacher as Person: Reflection 4

My AHA

In all the following materials, I have italicized key words or concepts.

I have removed any identifying material regarding the school at which I completed my 401 In School Experiences.

Taken from the PDP Handbook:

Goal 2: The development of a clear commitment to…uphold standards of excellence inherent in various forms of inquiry.

And now, for some dictionary definitions:

stand·ard–noun

1. something considered by an authority or by general consent as a basis of comparison; an approved model.
2. an object that is regarded as the usual or most common size or form of its kind: We stock the deluxe models as well as the standards.
3. a rule or principle that is used as a basis for judgment: They tried to establish standards for a new philosophical approach.
4. an average or normal requirement, quality, quantity, level, grade, etc.: His work this week hasn't been up to his usual standard.
5. standards, those morals, ethics, habits, etc., established by authority, custom, or an individual as acceptable: He tried to live up to his father's standards.
6. a grade of beef immediately below good.
7. the authorized exemplar of a unit of weight or measure.
8. a certain commodity in or by which a basic monetary unit is stated. Compare gold standard, silver standard, bimetallism, monometallism.
9. the legally established content of full-weight coins.
10. the prescribed degree of fineness for gold or silver.
11. British. a class or grade in elementary schools.
12. a musical piece of sufficiently enduring popularity to be made part of a permanent repertoire, esp. a popular song.
13. a flag indicating the presence of a sovereign or public official.
14. a flag, emblematic figure, or other object raised on a pole to indicate the rallying point of an army, fleet, etc.
15. Military.

a. any of various military or naval flags.

b. the colors of a mounted unit.

c. (initial capital letter) a U.S. Navy radar-guided surface-to-air missile with a range of 10–30 miles (16–48 km).

16. Heraldry. a long, tapering flag or ensign, as of a monarch or a nation.
17. something that stands or is placed upright.
18. a long candlestick or candelabrum used in a church.
19. an upright support or supporting part.
20. Armor. a standing collar of mail.
21. Horticulture. a plant trained or grafted to have a single, erect, treelike stem.
22. Botany. a distinct petal, larger than the rest, of certain flowers; a vexillum.
23. serving as a basis of weight, measure, value, comparison, or judgment.
24. of recognized excellence or established authority: a standard reference on medieval history.
25. usual, common, or customary: Chairs are standard furniture in American households.
26. manual; not electric or automatic: standard transmission.
27. conforming in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc., to the usage of most educated native speakers, esp. those having prestige, and widely considered acceptable or correct: Standard American English; standard pronunciation. Compare nonstandard (def. 2).
28. authorized or approved: The program was broadcast on the standard broadcast band.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/standard

Excellence--noun

1. the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree
2. an outstanding feature; something in which something or someone excels; "a center of manufacturing excellence"; "the use of herbs is one of the excellencies of French cuisine"

ex·cel·len·cy–noun, plural -cies.

1. (usually initial capital letter) Also, Excellence. a title of honor given to certain high officials, as governors, ambassadors, and Roman Catholic bishops and archbishops (prec. by his, your, etc.).
2. (usually initial capital letter) a person so entitled.
3. (usually initial capital letter) the title of the Governor General of Canada while in office.
4. Usually, excellencies. excellent qualities or features.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/excellence

Basically, my AHA moment occurred when I realized that __________’s doesn’t meet my standards of what a model institution should look like. I find that I’m suspicious of institutions that continuously throw around (meaningless) rhetoric like “standards of excellence.” I’m never really sure what that phrase is suppose to mean. I find that using those kinds of phrases affects me in the following ways: 1. Oh, crap. Do I measure up? 2. What kind of b.s. is this? 3. What exactly does a phrase like “standards of excellence mean?” I see that the definition is quite long for “standard;” it can mean so many things. The sheer number of potential meanings essentially obscures the common line between them all. Standard can mean both extraordinary and completely ordinary. I know that as used by institutions like __________’s and SFU, it’s intended to convey a sense of superiority, of being over and above all things ordinary or common. Excellence, on the other hand, exists in a more definite space—it absolutely conveys a religious sense of superiority. I’m tempted to connect it to literature and drama—I find language thus loaded to be a warren of potential for a kind of hamartia.

I understand that institutions like __________’s do in fact hope to convey a sense of all consuming superiority—indeed it is the kind of institution parents can pay significant sums of money to ensure that their child will get into a ‘good’ university. __________’s website provides parents a chart listing the number of students admitted to the different kinds of universities, the students’ AP test scores, as well as their performance on provincial exams and SATs. We, the readers of __________’s Academic Profile, are meant to be awed and amazed at their graduation rate. As to the pope, we are meant to bow down to an institution that so clearly demonstrates the “standards of excellence.” I just don’t see it. Sure, my students are bright but given 2 minutes worth of time, they begin to talk about how stressed out they are. How they’ve stayed up for 3 or 4 nights, until 2 and 3 in the morning, working on school projects. __________’s feeds them on a diet of rhetoric and expectations that leaves them starved for some of the more meaningful human experiences. Yes, they are the children of some of the most privileged classes in the world but they are children first and deserve to be honored in their childhood not conditioned towards a life work addiction.

What then of SFU’s demand that we student teachers “uphold standards of excellence?” Is __________’s a model institution upon which we should be building our ideals of those standards? As long as these institutions keep us focused on the question of whether or not we meet their expressed (and unexpressed) standards of excellence, how can we create mental space to question whether or not they meet our own internal and subjective standards? I guess the point of all of this musing is to explore some tricky territory. I esteem my program at SFU; in fact, it’s the first time in my life I’ve been a part of an institution that I believe shares a great number of my own ideals and ethics. I respect my entire faculty at SFU; I feel quite bonded to them all and do want them to see me as competent and passionate about becoming an educator myself. However, I question the wisdom of ‘throwing energy’ at a concept like “standards of excellence.” Does SFU wish to imply that the institution should exist in a state of pope-like superiority over its students? Does SFU truly value the life experiences of an incredibly diverse student body? I feel concern when an institution sets itself up with rhetoric such that individual difference becomes subsumed under the weight of its empty breath.

Looking Ahead

The PDP goal I will focus on this week (Please quote a section of a goal from goals 1-12): Specifically how I will achieve this:

The development of ability to use evaluation and assessment practices that…show understanding of the moral implications of evaluation and assessment practices; promote self assessment.

I will practice developing this skill by having my students engage in both peer and self evaluations. After the evaluations are complete, I intend to talk to them about how they found the process, what was useful to them and whether or not they found the peer evaluation process overly subjective.

Writing Prompt

Recall, relate, reflect: Recall an incident (briefly, this is not intended to be a summary of your week).

In a class I taught on Wednesday, a group was schedule to present. One of their class members was missing and, unfortunately, was in possession of all their materials for their presentation. I gave the group some time to discuss strategy out in the hall but they were unable to come up with a plan. I had told all the groups for all four of the classes I am teaching that there would be no extensions and that regardless of their schedules/conflicts/etc. their group would be presenting on the designated day. I gave them choice in with whom to work. I gave them choice as to the kind of presentation they would give. After asking for volunteers and offering bonus marks for groups that went the first day, I randomly selected which of the remaining groups were to go on which day. I explained the reasons for the timing of the presentations. I provided them with a rubric delimiting how their presentations would be marked by their peers. I gave them about 200 minutes of class time to work on their presentations. I did my best to cover all the bases and help them develop accurate expectations of themselves.

As the group with the missing project was speaking to me, I glanced over at another group in that class who also experienced extreme difficulties getting their project done on time because of their complicated schedules. Not five minutes after I’d assigned the presentations, they asked me for an extension. I told them to work creatively around their other commitments and to try their best given their complicated lives. I saw those students watching me as this group asked for an extension. How could I give them one when these students had worked so hard to meet the deadline themselves? I felt caught between the proverbial rock and a hard space. I also really wanted to see their presentation! I saw how hard they worked on it in class. I saw one boy overcome his initial distaste for the assignment and actually enjoy the process. I wanted all the students to get a chance to show off, to demonstrate what they can accomplish when they are given a chance and well supported autonomy. Instead, I offered these two students a poor choice: Either take a zero or try for some points by at least discussing their project with the class. As I had set the rubric up, they could have still scored between 12 and 24 out of 30 in total. I informed the class of this group’s difficulty and asked that they be gentle when filling out their evaluations.

In my mind, I had built so much flexibility into the assignment, I felt I couldn’t be any more flexible and still maintain a level of efficiency. The date I set was not arbitrary and originally I had planned the presentations to take place two class periods before spring break so that the last class could be both overflow and require less of them. Unfortunately, the school administrators decided to take the boys off school grounds to a basketball game, which wasn’t listed in the school calendar, so I lost my wiggle room. Misery upon misery, the entire group was full of introverts and I asked them to think on their feet with very little time to strategize. However, I do see value in encouraging students to try even when they are unsure of success. I’ve seen in my own life how moving into territory that’s just a little too scary can push my development along. I do see value in using these kinds of opportunities to learn about real life consequences. I do see how my own need for efficiency and respect conflicted with their needs. I’m still uncertain of the ethics of my decision in that moment. While I feel that there is no necessary or proper limit for compassion and empathy, I do think there exists some points where we need to move ahead despite the ambiguity inherent in these kinds of complicated situations.

How would I do things differently if presented with a similar problem? In the future, I’ll designate class time to address strategies for preparedness before assigning group work. I’ve realized that my students probably haven’t thought much about how to consider worst case scenarios; their focus is on when everything goes well. I’ll also ask for project materials to be submitted the class before the presentation is scheduled so in that way I can help them learn to plan ahead for difficulties with materials and technology. I realize that the above are preventative strategies which won’t necessarily ensure that I’ll be free from having to make those kinds of decisions in the future. I could also offer bonus points for a group that is prepared. And, I can come prepared myself with material to work on should one or more of the presentations go awry. Why should I ask my students to have forethought if I can’t manage it myself?