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I went from 6th
grade in a very small public school to a 7th through 12th
grade junior and senior high school combination. From a somewhat nurturing
elementary school setting I found myself (along with my friends) in the state's
largest high school. There were orientations to help us acclimate to the
complexity of this monstrous school, which would expand to an enrollment of
4,000 in a few years. The principal, Mr. Wergen, stressed community and had the
two vice-principals maintain tight discipline.
It was a stressful time
because we rushed through crowded hallways to classes in just four minutes, the
business-like running of the school 'factory', and the logistics of getting to
and from school. However, it was
positive, too, and I made new friends and actually look back at my time at John
Marshall fondly. The problem was not so much its size but rather two elements
that could not be avoided. One was the bullying we junior high school kids endured
daily from the older students that harassed us before, during, and after
school. I had stomach problems from the emotional torment in anticipation of a
physical or vocal encounter. I was chubby and seemed to attract bullies quite
naturally.
The other issue was the
pedagogy used by the faculty, which was essentially sitting at your desks for
the duration of the class period. There were a few labs in science classes but
we sat in assigned seats day after day. I did not necessarily find school
boring but I was not a good auditory learner and assimilation of content was
average at best. What was daunting was that a couple of my classmates excelled
in this environment and received straight A's. Many of the students like me, functioned
in a hibernation mode as our minds wandered from one lecture to the next.
Could educators find ways to engage students in the
post Sputnik era?
Though the teachers were
likeable and professional, the information flow was one way. It was a school in
the modern post Sputnik era, but without cooperative learning, few audio visual
devices in classrooms (though there was a large language lab), and little in
the way of discussion. We sat in rows. We did not know of other educational
styles, and most schools in that era were filled to capacity and used similar
educational methods. We were 'fortunate to be in such a beautiful school'. The
main administrative concern was control because that is how public education
did things in the era of overcrowded schools.
It was assembly line
education as each semester saw grade levels moving up and a new group
graduating. The school was divided into twelve units: 7A, 7b, 8A, 8B through
12B.
Was there novelty? Yes, there
were fascinating moments but they were usually in the athletic and
extracurricular realm, with a few interesting assemblies along the way. Many of
the students were interesting, articulate, and mature. I was in the band and
orchestra and gained from the unique experiences in those groups. Racing to a
neighborhood eatery (against school rules) with friends during the exam
exemption periods in January and June was the most exciting event in my time
there. Nevertheless, I found novelty in the teachers and my classmates during the day to day elements of the school year.
I think that is because the
brain searches for novelty – so finding it in the personalities and awkward
moments stand out even within the symmetrical rows of desks in every classroom.
I do not blame the education community of that period for not being more stimulating.
They accommodated huge throngs of students to the best of their ability for low
pay. Most seemed excited to be teaching. Because of demographic changes and
construction of schools, the same buildings that housed thousands decades ago
now entertains a fraction of that number.
It was from this educational
experience as well as the university model that I, too, started my career as a
science instructor using the lecture, worksheet, homework, and quiz model. It
was the safe way to go and students were accustomed to this style, and most of
my colleagues (veteran teachers) did it. Innovations could backfire and show
everyone that you are not a competent teacher. Most education literature worked
on augmenting or modifying the lecture, worksheet, homework, and quiz model.
My first professional experience
My first professional
experience was in an urban junior high school (grades 7-9) with an enrollment
of about 1,200 students. The district was segregated and the student body was
99.9% white. I taught science and math classes and tried hard to be an
effective teacher but had some discipline issues. The veteran teachers were
quite skilled at maintaining control and were excellent content area
instructors. I knew that because of both reputation (kids' comments and gossip
in the men's teacher lounge) and individual meetings with teachers. I searched
out a number of faculty members to find out how they maintained discipline and
facilitated content. That was an outstanding decision on my behalf because I
learned a great deal about teaching styles and instructional effectiveness.
What was interesting was that
they all had personal philosophies about content delivery that differed in
style and performance but worked for them. Students were attentive when I
walked past the rooms. Like my days at Marshall Junior Senior High School desks
were in rows. There were a number of rugged boys that were intimidating but the
faculty was skilled in maintaining control. Though I originally wanted to teach
advanced biology in a nice high school, this 7-9th grade setting was a lot of
fun and the kids were endearing. Even the outspoken kids were interesting
people and I would have stayed there permanently except that I was contacted by
a suburban district the next year to teach chemistry. I interviewed and got the
job.
Two inspirational styles modeled for me
Probably the most significant
consultations at that junior high school were with two
eighth grade English teachers. This is where novelty becomes weird. Janet
Snyder and Steve Johnson were pedagogical contrasts. Janet was a young and
extremely exuberant teacher that used theatrical methods to capture attention
and bring out the verbal aspect of her students. The traditional seating chart
was not important in her domain. She would start classes with a loud question
with her arms flung in the air: "What did you think about….?" The
blank would be a homework reading or a news item or a movie. I would see the
students (several in my science and math classes) form a tight cluster sitting in the front of the room and Janet would
slide to her knees to intensify her presence. The students were mesmerized and
involved in the process -- admittedly more than in my class. I never saw that approach again in my multi decade
career. It was Janet's philosophy that a teacher should bring energy into their
classes and draw out the inner voice of the students. She was liked by all of
them and their eyes were wide open.
What was so peculiar was that
Steve Johnson was an upper middle-age gentleman who left a well-paying principal
position to be in the classroom. The district office felt his attempts to run a
junior high school in another location in the city too severe. He disagreed and
went back to teaching eighth grade English. His style departed almost 180
degrees from the vivacious Janet Snyder across the hall. For starters Steve
believed that every desk should be in the proper position. Furthermore,
students were required to begin the task listed on the board when they entered
the room (even before the bell rang), which could be a reading or writing
paragraphs on what was assigned the evening before. There were zero discipline issues
because any discrepancy from the Steve Johnson code were dealt with the first
few days of school. That seemingly stoic approach might appear extreme to you
but it worked for him. He was respected by students and parents and the
faculty. He was not mean but felt that his content area had to be treated with
respect and his role was not so just that of a teacher but as a craftsman of
English. That is the key point here: excellence through craftsmanship. The
conveying of the content area could only be done when all parties were firmly
in their seats and attending to tasks throughout the period. There was dialogue
but nothing like Janet's over the top exuberance before her adoring audience. Johnson was an effective
teacher and the test scores of his students in language were the highest of all
the feeder junior high schools as they entered high school.
Both Janet and Steve were
novel in their approach. She a believer in the attention raising style and
aggressive expression by both the teacher and the students. There may have been
sentence diagramming in her course but reaching students by drawing out their
inner voice was a key component. The novelty was her expressive manner,
uncommon in their careers as students, and me. While Steve was old-fashion to
an extreme in his approach, there was enormous structure and goals in every
activity in his classroom and that was perhaps the novelty here. The students
knew what was expected of them and the directions were extremely explicit and
purposeful. They probably never had such a structured teacher before and after
their time in that school. The rugged boys were well behaved in his classroom.
Focus and craftsmanship: A model for the evolution of
a career
That dichotomy would resonate
in my mind for the rest of my career. There was no correct teaching method as
long as you had a solid lesson plan that captured the attention of the
students. Steve Johnson and Janet Snyder were enormously successful. They were
extremes that only they could execute successfully. Both were in the same school, teaching the same subject, just a few feet from each other.
What did I take away from
these models as well as the other teachers in that school? It was that student
focus was key. That is, students had to be immersed in thought during the
classroom period. I could never be as demonstrative as Janet nor could I feel
comfortable structuring a class like Steve. His craftsman approach toward
teaching did stay with me, however. I had a responsibility to craft my subject
to meet the needs of students and be as lucid as possible. Perfection through craftsmanship was the supreme goal in my career.
In the next post I will deal
with the various activities that schools can incorporate to generate novelty.
As you can see many of the advancements in my career were inspired by
technological developments. Novelty works in this realm because the students
are technologically savvy and turned on by these devices. However, there are non-technological
means to inspire novelty and they will be discussed also.
