Last week I received a heartfelt letter from one of my students about how much she hates English. That's confronting!
But in the jumble that was her letter, was a huge amount of frustration and anger at the system for trying to keep her within the perceived 'best options for her' despite her growing realisation that she is in the wrong subject. She is 17 and in year 13. She had trouble articulating why she was wanting to change classes. English is her second language. She has no desire to study it at tertiary level. She got her Level 2 credits and now has realised that Level 3 is not for her. So she tried to change. She does not have parents who are able to write clear, coherent emails about why their daughter should change subjects as many of our students do. What was she to do? She went to the Deans and got nowhere. Frustrated she went to her House DP and cried. She was not proud of this show of emotion but it was seen as 'an inappropriate way of trying to get what she wanted' WTF????? I was inappropriate at 17 too! In fact I am still a crier in extremely tense situations! I hate it but it's what happens.
Why do we selfishly think ALL of our students should love our subject? We are often not that special and some people just DON'T LIKE ENGLISH as a subject. Personally I was none too fond of Chemistry or Physics. Why do we value one subject over another? Luckily for all concerned, no one made me continue on in either Chemistry or Physics but we tend to have a blind spot with some subjects. When I say 'we' I am using a broad brush....focused on school decision makers....and some stalwarts of departments who feel success is measured by numbers of students pushed through...Whose success - I have to ask - are they measuring?
One comment she made was "Yous say that I'm doing fine and that i should just stay in English. Like at the end of the day are yous sitting the test or am I? Are yous struggling or am I?"
Good point.
One reason she has received a poor reception is that she is perceived as a 'kid who gets into trouble' and has a history of absenteeism. One has to ask WHY. Well, I have to ask why - why is no-one else asking?
So I have stirred up a hornets nest here. Deans want to save face. Student wants to save face. No one is going to give up.
Later that same week......
I'm proud that I didnt give up on this one, I went to several people venting my frustration. I started with the careers teacher and then the RTLB in the office next to me. I moved on to the DP but got nowhere in fact I told him that his excuse for not actioning it - that it would make a lot of work for a number of people - was the crappest excuse I had heard all year for not doing something. I think I went on to tell him that we were supposed to be in the business of meeting the students needs. About then I realised he was not going to back down and lose face. Too much testosterone was flowing and I had to find another way to get around this block. Luckily we are mates so we fogive each other our outbursts - bear no grudges. I thought about it for a while and got more frustrated. So I went to the counsellor. More for me than anything . I wanted affirmation that I was on the right track, that my thoughts were reasonable and just and that we should do something.
I told her the story. I cried.
I said before I hate that but I was frustrated and the more I brought up the injustice, the more I realised I really feel passionately about this. I don't see any earthly reason not to move this kid out of my class. We talk about how we are here for the kids but when push comes to shove not many are. Luckily I am in the right place and have colleagues I have good relationships with who have the same mindset and probably more kudos than me. So the counsellor I spoke to went straight to her line manager who is pretty powerful in the system and the change was approved.
The next thing I did was perhaps even less orthodox, I got the student in to tell her she had done the right thing. That she had forced me to think about what I was doing and how that was a good thing. She apologised but I stopped her and said how important it is for teachers to be forced to think about what they are doing wrong now and then and how right she was when she said we tell students to strive for what they want and then tell them they can't do that. I want her to know she has a voice and that someone has listened. I also told her she better do well in travel and tourism because I will be watching!
June - She proudly showed me her latest assessment - Merit. So stoked for her!
But in the jumble that was her letter, was a huge amount of frustration and anger at the system for trying to keep her within the perceived 'best options for her' despite her growing realisation that she is in the wrong subject. She is 17 and in year 13. She had trouble articulating why she was wanting to change classes. English is her second language. She has no desire to study it at tertiary level. She got her Level 2 credits and now has realised that Level 3 is not for her. So she tried to change. She does not have parents who are able to write clear, coherent emails about why their daughter should change subjects as many of our students do. What was she to do? She went to the Deans and got nowhere. Frustrated she went to her House DP and cried. She was not proud of this show of emotion but it was seen as 'an inappropriate way of trying to get what she wanted' WTF????? I was inappropriate at 17 too! In fact I am still a crier in extremely tense situations! I hate it but it's what happens.
Why do we selfishly think ALL of our students should love our subject? We are often not that special and some people just DON'T LIKE ENGLISH as a subject. Personally I was none too fond of Chemistry or Physics. Why do we value one subject over another? Luckily for all concerned, no one made me continue on in either Chemistry or Physics but we tend to have a blind spot with some subjects. When I say 'we' I am using a broad brush....focused on school decision makers....and some stalwarts of departments who feel success is measured by numbers of students pushed through...Whose success - I have to ask - are they measuring?
One comment she made was "Yous say that I'm doing fine and that i should just stay in English. Like at the end of the day are yous sitting the test or am I? Are yous struggling or am I?"
Good point.
One reason she has received a poor reception is that she is perceived as a 'kid who gets into trouble' and has a history of absenteeism. One has to ask WHY. Well, I have to ask why - why is no-one else asking?
So I have stirred up a hornets nest here. Deans want to save face. Student wants to save face. No one is going to give up.
Later that same week......
I'm proud that I didnt give up on this one, I went to several people venting my frustration. I started with the careers teacher and then the RTLB in the office next to me. I moved on to the DP but got nowhere in fact I told him that his excuse for not actioning it - that it would make a lot of work for a number of people - was the crappest excuse I had heard all year for not doing something. I think I went on to tell him that we were supposed to be in the business of meeting the students needs. About then I realised he was not going to back down and lose face. Too much testosterone was flowing and I had to find another way to get around this block. Luckily we are mates so we fogive each other our outbursts - bear no grudges. I thought about it for a while and got more frustrated. So I went to the counsellor. More for me than anything . I wanted affirmation that I was on the right track, that my thoughts were reasonable and just and that we should do something.
I told her the story. I cried.
I said before I hate that but I was frustrated and the more I brought up the injustice, the more I realised I really feel passionately about this. I don't see any earthly reason not to move this kid out of my class. We talk about how we are here for the kids but when push comes to shove not many are. Luckily I am in the right place and have colleagues I have good relationships with who have the same mindset and probably more kudos than me. So the counsellor I spoke to went straight to her line manager who is pretty powerful in the system and the change was approved.
The next thing I did was perhaps even less orthodox, I got the student in to tell her she had done the right thing. That she had forced me to think about what I was doing and how that was a good thing. She apologised but I stopped her and said how important it is for teachers to be forced to think about what they are doing wrong now and then and how right she was when she said we tell students to strive for what they want and then tell them they can't do that. I want her to know she has a voice and that someone has listened. I also told her she better do well in travel and tourism because I will be watching!
June - She proudly showed me her latest assessment - Merit. So stoked for her!