Day Five

Teacher In-Service: Day Five

Getting to the Root. Problem solving.

I’m not sure if ‘origin story’ works well here, but here is the story I am trying to convey. An example.

Once, in a faculty meeting, we teachers were told to “go out into the hall during passing periods and walk into bathrooms,” (bathrooms that had no doors. The doors were removed for safety purposes) “to keep kids from vaping.”  More time spent patrolling over learning.

Bell rings. Class begins. I shut my door and shared the new vaping policy with my juniors and seniors in Psychology class. “So, why do (some of you) kids vape?” I asked with concern, not condemnation.

“School!”  Was the number one answer. School stresses kids out. Conveniently, tobacco industries provide a naughty (and they know the anti-authority attraction to youths) outlet for stress.

“School is why we don’t sleep, why we are depressed and anxious.” School as a whole is what confounds kids. Ask them.

Yet, IN school, we put the focus and blame on kids and teachers. YOU need to be in the halls monitoring kids. YOU need to ________ (fill in the blank). Sleep, exercise, nourish, play? Activities essential to quality of life. Desolate in school.

What is the problem? What is the root of the problem?

Until we can breach the simplest of conversations, the simplest of questions as to the Why. Why school is the way it is, we will remain stuck in limbo. Arguing. Figuring out who is to blame and make culpable for “how things got so bad,”  instead of getting to root questions. Problem solving.

It is possible. Change the narrative. Take a risk. Ask the most elementary questions. Why? What is the purpose of education?

Five Days of Inservice. Have a nice weekend!