Who are you, who, who; who, who?
Where do our images of what a student is supposed to be come from? In my last post, I stated that..."In school...teachers have an image of what students are supposed to be like...how they are supposed to behave and work...among other things." This image comes from many...for lack of a better term (right now)...sources.It comes from the curricular materials we use to teach.It comes from our interpretation of the curricular materials we use to teach.It comes from what other stakeholders (administrators, parents, school board members, state legislators, those who develop the curricular materials we use to teach...to name just a few) want from the students we teach.When you contemplate that each of these "sources" in turn are informed by a myriad of other "sources" it becomes clear quickly why the image of how students are supposed to behave and work can be a constraining force...limiting what is possible in the classroom. When I say limiting I mean limited to the affect of the "sources" that literally shape what it means to be a student. Nowhere in this image are the needs and wants...as articulated by the student present. I want to explore this further...in future posts.