Learning From the Bumps in the Road

There was a chapter in this book where the educators are talking about “consistency,” and a Kenyan says “in our country there is no constant adult presence, but many adults who the kids learn from.” It’s one of many anecdotes in this book, which is essentially about the importance of diversity in education.

The four educators in this book come from diverse backgrounds and they discuss their experiences with multiethnic students. Schools are no longer homogenous (especially in metropolitan areas) and while nobody expects the teacher to know six languages, you’re going to have to be able to deal with six different habits. For instance, Janet Gonzalez-Mena talks about the issue of “greetings” in her life. Hers is the “hi, how are you” kind of greeting, very informal, while her Mexican husband’s family has more physical greetings that take longer. Kids from outside the USA may have an awkward transition to the American way of the classroom, especially if it’s radically different from how they’re treated at home. Think of the eight year old in your classroom whose lack of eye contact drives you crazy. You think it’s annoying, but where he comes from, a kid who looks adults in the face is considered rude.

Holly Elisa Bruno discusses gender, and how you deal with the parents expectancy. For instance, with all the hoopla today about transgender teens (like the much-publicized Kim Petras) you’re likely to have kids playing games that aren’t typical for their gender. So what do you do if the parent insists that restrict what their child does? If you the parent tells you that their son is not to play with dolls, do you enforce THEIR rules in YOUR classroom? Will they threaten to sue you for teaching them that gay people aren’t crazy? These are all issues that teachers will face today in the average classroom.

The teachers in this book go on to critique each other’s discussions about all the troubles you have in the classroom. I’m not referring here to the usual things, like throwing paper planes or making farting noises, because those are things that kids do if they’re bored. This book is about recognizing the social problems that can get in the way of learning. One nice piece of advice here is to be vigilant about the community, with regard to the people living there, changes in the demographic, the economics of the neighborhood, etc. I remember in my first year of teaching, the kids used to drop their garbage right on the sidewalk and the floor, and it drove me crazy. Then one day as I was walking past the public houses next door to the school, I saw the adults doing that and realized what the problem was; kids learn by example, and their parents made a bad one. I would have to start from the beginning, and teach the kids why garbage cans are good for the community.

Like they say to any new teacher, it’s all about planning. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.