Normally, as March Madness kicks off, my students ask about my picks. But, this year was different.
"What do you think about eliminating the Department of Education?" he asked in the moments before class began.
"Do you think this will changes the Title I funding?" she asked as we discussed Achievement Tests.
"My uncle says teachers won't need Master's Degrees anymore?" someone said and we discussed possibilities long after class.
My students, the future of teaching, show up because my class is mandated for Special Education certification. Sometimes, in the moments before class or during breaks, there is discussion about local sports teams or the weather, but current events is really outside the scope of our syllabus.
Lately, that has changed. They are worried about their careers and their students. They understand the profound changes in the education of our most at risk citizens in the past 50 years based, primarily, on federal legislation. While our special education and 504 services are still far from universal, nor are they perfect, students with learning struggles no longer find themselves relegated to basement classrooms or told they do not fit into the local model. Some of my current teachers were not so long ago students who benefitted from English as as Second Language support. Some of their students benefit from Medicaid supported therapies,
So, last night, I veered away from my "lesson plans" into current events in education, an area where I not only have no answers, I actually have many more questions than my students. We are in unchartered waters.
4 comments:
My youngest daughter is in her fourth year of a five year masters program to teach, and I worry for her, and for so. many others. I want her to come home and tell me they're talking about it and empowering her cohorts to be informed leaders. It's reassuring to hear that some classes are talking about the current state.
I've always argued that the best learning is learning that evokes more questions than answers because it forges new pathways. It sounds like that is exactly the kind of learning that is happening around this topic, and while there may not be answers for a while, I've always firmly believed what my grandfather told me: you can't go wrong with education. And I still believe him.
So many questions and so few answers. Discussion and information are so important. Flexibility is an important aspect of teaching. Sometimes you just need to veer off topic because it is what the students need and want. arjeha
So many questions. So many feelings of panic. So many night terrors. Thank you for showing up every day. Thank goodness for you and your students who are staying the course in spite of the uncertainty.
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