Teachability

Some of the most exhilarating moments for a teacher are those times when the students are so teachable. They are actively listening, they are discussing, they are reading, and they are following your train of thought -- thinking your thoughts with you -- and they are compliant with assigned work.

Some of the most depressing times for a teacher are those when the students are unteachable. They choose not to listen, they choose not to discuss but argue or complain, they do not read assignments, they do not follow your thoughts, and they do not study assigned work. They mentally check out.

Such has been my weeks since Christmas vacation. Frankly, I've never had students like this before. We all expect a slump in February, but not in beginning in January and continuing through a grading period. I am a bit consoled that I'm not the only one having the problem. And if contracts were issued or performance evaluations based upon student outcome, I'd not receive a contract or a positive evaluation. It's just that bad.

And their parents, well, it should be interesting to see who wants a conference after grade reports are received. I've had several of the conferences scheduled this past quarter only to have the parents cancel at the last minute ("Something came up...") and never reschedule. Some parents genuinely want to know where their child is missing the beat and help him. Others, which are most, seem to want the teacher to fix the problem, even when the most common problem is the child not doing his homework or class preparation. 

David Murray's article, "The Most Essential Life Skill: Teachability," sums it up. Read excerpt below, then hop over to his site and read the whole thing. Excellent words. Unfortunately for me, I see an overwhelming majority of unteachables in today's classrooms. That makes the teaching life hard.  

The Most Essential Life Skill: Teachability

There’s one characteristic that separates the successful from the unsuccessful in every walk of life: teachability. Those who are teachable, and remain so, usually succeed. The unteachable usually fail. 
Think of all the successful people you know, what is it that distinguishes them all? It’s teachability, isn’t it.Think of all the people you know that never really made the most of the gifts and opportunities God gave them. Unteachability is the common thread, isn’t it?

So what does unteachabilty look like?

• Don’t take notes, read books, or learn anything unless it’s the bare minimum or what’s essential for exam purposes.
• Don’t ask questions or attempt anything that might reveal your ignorance or risk you looking stupid.
• Don’t accept responsibility for your failures but blame anyone and everyone else.
• Don’t listen, but talk, talk, talk about yourself, especially when you’re with someone you could learn a lot from.
• Don’t take criticism or correction without resentment or retaliation.
• Read more here. . . .

In contrast, teachability means:

• You admit limitation, inability, and ignorance to others who can teach and help.
• You regularly ask for help, instruction, guidance, and advice (before the event, not after disaster strikes).
• You listen to others carefully and patiently with a desire to learn from everyone.
• You’re prepared to move out of your comfort zone, try something different, make mistakes, look stupid, answer wrongly, etc.
• You don’t give up when you fail at something, but seek help, and try again and again until you get it right.
• Read more here. . . .

There’s another word for teachability.
Humility.

Reflections on teaching

In response to this post last week, Desert Mom of A Quotidian Life:

I always enjoy hearing about your teaching experiences and your impressions of classroom teaching. Other than the English teacher's attitude, which is obviously a big factor, what methods did the teacher use to direct, teach, and discipline? How did you differ in your methods. I know you are not one to toot your own horn but I would love to hear how you handled the class.

This English teacher did what many other teachers do prior to the students coming into the classroom. He wrote the day's assignment on the board. One of the first things he does every single day is to have the student's scan the daily newspaper (new daily copies are donated to every English classroom) and write a summary of two articles on a form provided for a week at a time. I think the intent here is good; it gives the opportunity for students to be familiar with the day's news. But, writing two summaries? Everyday? In my opinion, that is overkill. Most of the students I observed went straight for the column of news summaries in the newspaper. They just wrote something down. Nothing was ever discussed. It was just done. And the kids acted like they knew it was a wasted time of required busy work. It seemed like it was just something that the teacher could use as grading material.

These newspapers were all located at the front of the classroom on a rolling library cart to be picked up by the student and returned when finished ready for use in the next class. Rarely did the students pick these up as they entered the room, so there was a lot of up-and-down moving around to complete the assignment. If it had been my room, and if I had to incorporate that activity, I think I would have required the students to put the newspapers in / under their desks for the next class. Then the final class could have the responsibility to collect these. There was entirely too much movement in the classroom. Movement does not equal focus. And students need focus.

Thinking back on that week, I realize that every lesson / activity that that teacher did required the students to get up and go to that rolling cart for something. Not only were the newspapers there, but so were the books and materials for the poetry poster project and the class reading book.

Besides writing the assignment on the board, the teacher gave little further direction. The class was noisy and moving. Once in a while did the teacher make a comment about the noise level and about students who were sitting idly. Even when he made his comments, he never got the attention of the class; he just added to the clamor. The students had him tuned out from the beginning.

Whenever I have to give direction or make announcements, I will not proceed until the class is attentive and quite. I will not compete for attention. If a student chooses to flaunt the rule, he sees me in the hall. I have only had to take two students out. When I do, I explain my requirement and how I expect the student to respond. Then I require the student to give me his word that he will make every attempt to comply. If he chooses not too, and I always lay the responsibility on the student--it is his choice, I have him leave the class. That means a referral to an administrator which goes on the student's record. Once the students know that I mean business, I usually do not have any problem. That doesn't mean there aren't challenges to authority and under-breath comments, but I usually have control of the class.

If the classroom is not under the management of the teacher, then learning cannot take place as it should, or maybe not at all. But once under the right authority in a conducive environment, content learning can occur.

At times during the last, and most rambunctious class, I noticed that this teacher stood with a marker in hand as if waiting for the class to pay attention to him. (The problem, in my opinion, is that you don't wait for them to pay attention; if you do not command attention, they wipe their feet on you, and you are nothing more than a doormat.) Then I noticed that he would put a "5" up on the board. I couldn't figure this up until the end of class. Intercom announcements at the end of the school day dictate complete quiet in all the classrooms I've been in, except this one. (A few more "5"s went up on the board. I'm still perplexed at what he's doing.) After the announcement that seniors are dismissed, the teacher finally says, "You all have five "5"s up here; so that means 25 seconds."

Now, I get it. He will keep them 25 seconds after the dismissal bell. All is quiet. I mean not a sound was made. That was the quietest the room had been for ninety minutes. The students knew they couldn't afford to be late and miss their bus. The time I had that class by myself and they were too noisy, I told them right then that they had 30 seconds after the bell. After lots of bellyaching "You can't do that!" comments, I assured them that I could and I did, and I'd add 30 more seconds if they complained any more. I didn't have another problem. The kids will get by with as much as you let them. And they know that.

What bothered me the most throughout this class, though, was this teacher's detachment from the students. If the students chose not to work (and there were many who chose this), he left them alone. He did not encourage or question or push. He just didn't do anything. Well, yes, he did. When I asked him about certain of these students, he shrugged and said, "They've just given up." Yeah, right. They've given up because you've given up. If there is one thing I've learned late in life, if is that our attitude directly influences the student's attitude. We can accomplish a lot of things with our attitude. It rubs off. It influences. It determines, to a large part, the direction of the student. No matter how the student responds on the outside, the influence is there. I have been surprised among my own children just how much my attitude and opinions influence them. When I've been verbally pejorative (There! I got a chance to use one of my new vocabulary words this week! Don't know if I used it correctly, but I'm trying.), I often see the very same attitude coming out of them. Negative influence is a lot more contagious than positive, but both are communicable.

I must bring this to a close. I hope this is some food for thought. Last week, I had a wonderful experience in a different English teacher's class that I hope to share soon.