Thursday, January 17, 2013
January 24 (#1)…Teaching Toward Freedom, pt. 1
Ayers:
"Teaching, at its best, is an enterprise that helps human beings reach the
full measure of their humanity" (p. I). Have you thought of teaching in
this manner? React to this claim. How does this way of thinking challenge the
ways in which people tend to think about teaching/teachers?
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ReplyDeleteI have thought of teaching in the manner that “helps human beings reach the full measure of their humanity.” I feel that we as teachers learn from teaching. No matter how long we have taught a subject it is always possible to learn something new from the students and from other co-workers in the school system. People tend to think of teaching or teachers as the people who give the knowledge rather than the people who may also receive or learn from this knowledge. I believe that it works both ways. We learn and teach all at the same time.
DeleteRhonda's thoughts.....
ReplyDeleteThis prompt had me thinking all day as I went about my day teaching...Humanity, as I saw it was acting in a manner that built relationships with others that promoted positive and nuturing qualities that would create a positive outcome. I thought about how Ayers regarded the role of teaching as a way to help students reach their own potential for humanity and I can see on a higher level of thinking how that should be the goal. However when I think about the emphasis that is placed on the mastery of content I can see how the two visions are in a state of conflict. I see it as my own son is frantically cramming for his mid-term exams and is stressing out over all he needs to to know to repeat back in MC format in order to be "successful"..... The "humanity" concept is refreshing but sadly, not where we are in education at this point in time. I am fortunate to teach a subject which provides me th opportunity to see the "whole" student, however, core content teachers are required to focus on data and test scores and as a result of this current push may miss out on truly seeing the "whole" student.
This is Alison Greci...I have thought of teaching this way and I think that we would not be doing our students justice if we did not strive to help them reach their fullest potential. It is not an easy task to accomplish, but it is nonetheless important. If we can help students reach the full measure of their humanity we can help them become better prepared for the ‘real world’ (life after school). I believe this contradicts what some people think about what teaching is really about. The people who most likely would disagree with this claim are those individuals who think teaching is “easy” and is basically just glorified babysitting.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of teaching in this manner, but I think it's inspiring and useful. So often people (myself included) think of teachers mostly as purveyors of knowledge. They know certain facts, and it is their job to communicate them to their ignorant students as best as they can.
ReplyDeleteAs teachers we actually have the opportunity to have a much more important impact on individuals and society. By asking interpretative questions and encouraging creativity, we positively shape the minds of students with the end result being that they live fuller lives.
Emily Williams:
ReplyDeleteI would like to think that I have thought of teaching in this manner, but not to the full extent that Ayers details for his audience. Every teacher aspires to be "the best" or successful at what they do, but that task becomes much more daunting if you believe, as Ayers does, that teaching "helps human beings reach the full measure of their humanity." The magnitude of that tasks demands teachers to take responsibility in guiding their students, of all ages, to reach the full potential of their human nature. I think that this idea would alter the views of those less familiar with the teaching profession. Sometimes teaching is perceived as a simplistic job by adults because the content material is something they have already learned and mastered. However, education consists of so much more than multiplication facts and writer's workshops. What others often do not see is that teachers spend almost as much time with students as their own parents do--sometimes more. This being said, teachers have the power to alter the way children think, behave, and believe. I think it is absolutely justified to say that teachers have the beautiful ability to encourage those that they teach to not only learn about the world, but to learn about themselves and who they are as human beings.
Aloha, this is Holly!
ReplyDeleteI have thought that teaching and school counseling share a similar belief in empowering students to reach their fullest potentials. I think such mission shows a bigger picture of teaching as more than just about facts, grades and tests. The problem with the thought of teaching in such manner seems too mushy and philosophical for a world that is data-driven and evidence-based. Unfortunately, many teachers have to confront the moral battle between the possibility of “... helps human beings to reach the full measure of their humanity” and the reality of accountability and standardized tests in their classrooms.
For those who tend to think that teaching is about delivering facts to students may have difficulties in embracing this way of thinking. It is challenging for them as this thought of teaching is more dynamic and interactive than delivering facts and presenting knowledge. Also, it takes students beyond the academic realm and into moral reflection and ethical reasoning.
I do agree with Ayers' assertion, "Teaching, at its best, is an enterprise that helps human beings reach the full measure of their humanity" (p. 1). I certainly have never articulated it in such an eloquent manner or as fully as Ayers does. However, I have always tended to focus most on helping to facilitate the growth and learning of children as members of a community and larger society, in which they can truly make a difference using their own unique talents and skills. In undergrad, I focused a lot on JFK's statement: "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education." I have always thought of education as an enterprise of change, growth, and betterment--not just of individuals, but of the entire society (through helping individuals reach the full measure of their humanity, to reference Ayers). This is exactly why I am so passionate about education. Unfortunately, as Rhonda points out in her post, our current emphasis on "mastery of content" is certainly in conflict with helping students reach the full measure of their humanity. I was often frustrated with this as a classroom teacher. I frequently felt unable to fully address the "whole" child in our current system. This is part of the reason why I am now considering counseling education over going back into the classroom as a teacher. I suppose that sounds like a pretty sad statement.
ReplyDeleteThis is Marshall. I have thought about teaching in this manner but have never explained it like Ayers. This is partially the reason that I went into physical education and health because yes I have standards to follow just like any core class but my students are not tested on it with SOLs. This allows me to have a little more freedom and creativity in the way in which the information is delivered and the way the students learn.
ReplyDeleteFor those people that think teaching is either babysitting or simply supplying students with facts need to realize everything that goes into a single lesson. I can somewhat understand why people would think like this because all they see and hear about are test scores and grades. They do not realize that it is difficult in the short amount of time to help the students "reach the full measure of their humanity" when all most schools care about are test scores.
Anise Robinson:
ReplyDeleteWhat most sticks out to me in this excerpt is the idea that teachers, when at their best, teach to help students attain their humanity. I think that is interesting because I do not think of teachers in that way. To me, helping someone reach their level of humanity has more to do with character building than it does lessons in the classroom. While I believe teachers incorporate lessons in their classrooms where students learn to be cooperative, helpful, inquisitive, compassionate, confrontational, and where students learn their abilities, I don’t feel like that is what teachers focus on. Teachers spend most of their time focusing on their subjects and helping their students pass. That is not wrong, because that is what we have come to expect of school teachers, and that is something that not everyone can do. The idea that teachers teach to the humanity of their students provides a challenge to teachers to not only educate their students in core subjects, but to also inspire their students to be better people. While the Ayers idea is very inspiring and is no doubt what most teachers would want from their career, I don’t think it is possible with the current state of public education.
Michelle Blowers
ReplyDeleteI have thought about education this way, but not until recently. Many people see teacher's as Allison said - a glorified babysitter. Sometimes when I tell people I am going to be a teacher, they respond with something like, "Oh how nice. You get to play with kids all day." Many people also hold the belief that education is and should be the teacher in front of the classroom, getting out her bucket of knowledge, and walking around to each student to dump some in. I have learned, as I hope others will, that teaching is so much more than this. Good teaching requires truly getting to know your students and their needs, getting input from the students, cooperative and active learning, and helping your students to reach their full potential. In doing this, students are able to build character and reach that level of humanity that Ayers was talking.
Oscar “Nick” Zubieta
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that I agree with the thought that AT ITS BEST teaching helps students reach the full measure of their humanity. It is a fact that many teachers strive to make a difference in the lives of the students by providing them with the best lessons that life can give them. I usually do not think of teachers in the manner of “life changers” mainly because of the encounters that I have had with them. Many of them are not there to help a student be the best that they can be, but they are trying to make sure they know enough to make it to the next level. To me that is not encouraging a student to be the best, but motivating them to learn to be average. I am not saying that teachers cannot make a huge difference. I am certain that a teacher at their best can help others reach that epic peek, but this is not the idea that most people get about teachers, seeing them as individuals are just blessed with basic knowledge and patience. I believe that if more individuals met and observed teachers who have that ability to alter students in a positive manner, there would ultimately be more teachers who strive help others “reach the full measure of their humanity”.
Melanie Woods
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this statement, I equated it with the army's mantra of "Be all that you can be." Taken that way, the goal of teaching is to help our students achieve their full potential for their own benefit. While I do want this for my students, it doesn't seem to be enough. I want my students to learn that their own well-being cannot be separated from the well-being of others. After continuing to read, I realize that Mr. Ayers means this and so much more when he speaks of helping students to "reach the full measure of their humanity". Instead of striving to attain to some limit of personal attainment, he wants to see students set free to be all that they already are. This is so different from the common perception of education as a means to prepare a skilled citizenry which is capable of furthering our nation's economic advancement. Instead, students are taught to have the freedom to think for themselves. This freedom of thought is what will finally result their understanding of the equal value of all humanity.
I would like to argue that "learning" helps people reach their full potential, and that teaching is one tool to guide in learning. At its best, teaching should encourage a lifelong desire to learn, however I feel that life has many teachers that are "best" teachers- experience, travel, challenges, change, diversity- all "teach" us something. If we have been exposed to great teachers- in the sense of teachers being the people who open our minds to new ways of thinking- then we have had the opportunity to be exposed to information and knowledge that we can use as a solid foundation, but knowledge is only as good as what the learner chooses to do with it. -Kristin Walton
ReplyDeleteIs this really teaching at its BEST? This goes back to the topic of, what is the purpose of teaching? I think that through lessons, field trips, and yes even tests, we are helping students reach their full capacity. Teachers are naturally giving students structure throughout the day to day activities that guide them in to reaching the full measure of humanity. I think this is something done discreetly with lessons, structure, and discipline. This also proves the importance of parents and home life and also depends on the student and how much they are willing to put in and what they want out of a classroom. When Ayer writes about how BJ helps write a letter on behalf of Caitlin to the fireman on her feelings on the topic of more femininity in his professional world, I believe this is a great example of teaching at its best....and it wasn't even a 'lesson'. I think when you have great teachers, who really care about the minds of their students, then they are going to help reach their full capacity, in and out of the classroom. It is a group effort with the teacher, student, and parent(s)( grandparents, etc) to work as a team to build this concept of reaching the full measure of humanity.
ReplyDeleteAndrew No I have to disagree with the statement that teaching helps people reach their full measure of humanity. Who and how do we define what full measure of humanity really is.My definition of humanity may be different from someone else's definition. I also feel that Ayers statement is really talking about a people teaching. Well I feel most of what you learn in life you learn by living life.
ReplyDeleteTiffany Morris
ReplyDeleteTeaching is one way to help students reach their full potential. However, if the student is not willing to open up their minds to learn, and put in the effort then the student will never reach their full potential. In order for students to learn to their maximum capacity, I believe that intrinsic motivation needs to be present, and I am not sure that is a skill that can be taught. A student either wants to do well or they do not. One could argue that if you present a student with rewards they are more likely to get their work done, however then we are moving away from intrinsic motivation and into extrinsic. I also believe that tests, grades, and SOLs restrict students in only learning what they need to in order to pass and get the desired grade. If such limitations were to be lifted from students, and learning were to become “fun” or not so limited, I believe we would see an increase in learning from students.
I don’t think I ever thought of teaching in this manner when I first began working in the schools; however, it only took a short time of working with children before I realized this claim is absolutely true. I have spent my entire career working with at-risk children and in Title I schools, and it has been a difficult, frustrating, exciting, heart-warming, rewarding, and humbling experience. (Side note: I completely agree with Bill Ayers notes about the term “at-risk”, and I have had many internal and external arguments about this term and when we really think about it, all children are “at-risk”. Yet, I use the term because most people will know what I am trying to convey.) I know that my kids have taught me more about life than I think I ever was able to teach them. They have definitely taught me what is important in life and what is really worth fighting for. And, I would like to think that I had some impact on their ability to reach their full potential.
ReplyDeleteI do not think most people think about teaching in this way, and I believe this could be one reason why we (as a society) seemed to have embraced standardized testing and manualized teaching. I also have to wonder if perhaps some of the people who should not be in the education field (unfortunately, yes they do exist) have not grasped this idea.
Teaching, at its best, is an enterprise that helps human beings reach the full measure of their humanity"
ReplyDeleteIt has honestly taken me awhile to gather my thoughts on this topic. I definitely agree with the above statement. As teachers, we want what is best for our students. We strive to do our personal best to teach our students as best we can, and also act as a role model for them. Many students do not have role models outside of their school. A lot of times school is the only place they feel safe. Teachers should take this opportunity to not only educate our youth, but also be a positive role model. I have learned through my time in this program that teaching is not an easy task. There is so much more involved than just “babysitting.” We educate our students in many ways; from subject matter to preparing them for the world outside of school.
-Stacy Anderson
I don't think I really thought about this too much until I started taking classes in teacher prep. After working with actual kids and listening to my professors, I really started to realize that we are not just teaching kids traditional "knowledge", but also how to be good, contributing people. I have worked in more underprivileged schools and that is where I realized that students really need more than what the curriculum tells us we should teach. They need that nurturing and encouragement that motivates them to enjoy school and feel comfortable there so that they are then in turn able to learn those things in the curriculum. As teachers, we need to teach to the whole student to make them well rounded people and not only focus on the academic end.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Angles
To consider teaching an enterprise that helps people, as I see it, self-actualize, is a lofty claim. That being said, I do not think it is entirely farfetched. Under the right circumstances, a school can change the lives of the pupils that pass through it. School can offer a different world to students who live in difficult circumstances. Public schools in particular have the opportunity to show students their potential more than their home situation might. However, people who see school as a place to watch kids while parents are at work would think very differently. They do not understand that schooling, at almost every level, is preparation. Whether it is preparation for human interaction, overcoming obstacles in daily life, or preparation directly related to a future career, school prepares students for what comes next.
ReplyDeleteFor this reason Mr. Ayers challenges educators. Sending young people to school is not enough, just as simply teaching various subjects is not enough. If teaching is going to help students reach the full measure of their humanity, to be all they can be, teachers need to grasp that potential and help all students achieve.
School counselors are more involved with achievement than people realize. One of the counselor’s main jobs is to promote achievement by helping to remove or resolve obstacles in a student’s life. If teachers and counselors work together, more students can see the results of teaching at its best.
Yes, this is something that I have thought about before. I think that teaching really can help human beings reach the full measure of their humanity. What that entails exactly, as well as what the end result looks like depends on the one who desires to teach, and the one that desires to learn. I do think that teachers do have a different role that is expected of them by others around them (other professionals, parents, etc). Many times it feels that teachers are just teachers of material, so that students can regurgitate facts and concepts to do well on the next set of exams or applications. I think that if teachers realize the impact that they can have--that they can truly affect another human being to reach their true potential, our purpose for educating would be very different than it looks now, to a certain degree. I think that teachers who have a purpose beyond themselves (not just to teach because they like doing it, though that is a good start) can really mold and shape another human being's character and life goals. This also helps us to realize the weightiness of being a teacher, and how much responsibility this has to our community. We cannot simply teach and think that our imperfections or character flaws will not have an impact on the individuals around us. This claim helps us to understand what teachers could possibly do to other human beings, and help us to recognize our role in society.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Hayes:
ReplyDeleteWhile I think teaching can most certainly help others reach potential they may not otherwise gain, I am not sure that I wholly agree with the boldness of this claim. What exactly is the full measure of one’s humanity? How is it even measured and do any of us ever reach it? While an inspiring thought, I think it puts a great deal of pressure on teachers. In order to impart this fullness, the statement relies on an assumption that all teachers must be models of morality and knowledge. This may be ideal, but, as a teacher, it is so not the reality. In our reading, Ayers describes “School Teacher,” a character from a novel, and people’s reaction to him. Why is it so hard to believe that teachers, like this particular character, could lack gentleness and compassion? Teachers are humans too. Maybe I’m thinking too much about the individuality of teachers rather than the idea of teaching as a whole. I suppose it’s too hard for me to really separate the two.
Troy Lyon:
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about teaching physical education I agree with this excerpt. I have noticed because of the high pressure of standardized tests that people do not feel that we need or that we should cut of physical education of the curriculum. The fact of the matter is if students and our youth do not learn how to be fit, exercise, or properly eat then all of the education they learn from other core subjects will not matter if they are unhealthy and do not have the chance to live to there full potential lives. My philosophy of physical education is exposing students to various exercises, sports, and leisure activities that can help them be healthy so they can hopefully find something they like and that they will enjoy for the rest of life. I believe in order for this excerpt to be true education should be balanced and the pressure shouldn't be so much on the SOL test scores. I don't think teachers get enough credit for the effort they put into teaching and planning and when this happens a lot of society can second guess the importance of overall education.
Nathaniel Dominy:
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I've specifically thought about teaching in this way before, but it's a great way of clarifying a long held but vague idea. I think that the difficulty with it, like we talked about last class, lies in the infinite variables that come along with what 'the full measure of their humanity' means. This is clearly in conflict with the trend towards standardization in most aspects of education and may come off as an unachievable, overly idealistic goal. Furthermore, I worry that some people might dismiss Ayers' statement as some kind of hippie/new-age ideology due to its broad and non-specific nature.
I agree with Ayers and I think that students who have been taught to 'reach the full measure of their humanity' will find themselves better prepared to succeed in all situations, regardless or whether they were specifically taught about them or not. That being said, I'm a white middle class straight male from a highly educated and stable family. I've always been able to afford to think about education as a means of self-fulfillment instead of survival. I feel very in tune with Ayers' perspectives, but I'm also skeptical of my own perspective.
Do parents who are worried about their children being able to compete in an increasingly dismal job market in order to sustain an increasingly expensive standard of living want to hear that teachers are imparting skills and knowledge that will best prepare their children to compete, or do they want to hear that their children are being taught how to best be themselves? Again, I wholeheartedly agree with Ayers so far, but I think his philosophy may be a hard sell to many parents in tougher situations that my own.
Shiquana Barr:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ayers statement for the most part. I agree that through teaching we help children reach the some measure of their humanity, but I do not believe that it is all up to us even though be play a major role. I believe that school can expose children to many concepts and principles that make them more humanistic individuals, but what school and teachers ultimately should do is teach children how to think critically for themselves, thus putting it into their hands the power to make the decision to reach their full potential. Many people think that it is the teacher’s role to “force feed” information to students and be the deliverer of information. In my opinion, teacher set the stage for learning though reciprocity: teacher-to-student and student- to- teacher. We students are taught to reach their full potential though thinking critically everyone can learn together.
Yes, I have thought about teaching in this manner. I believe that teaching should be just as much about academics as it should be about helping students reach their fullest measure of humanity. Students are with their teacher for such a majority of each day that the teacher plays a huge role in their lives other than academically. I think that due to the high stakes testing, teachers are more stressed out and not necessarily focusing on helping students reach their full measure of humanity. I also believe that because their are such diverse families now, a teacher's idea of helping a student reach their full measure of humanity could be contrasting to the views of a students family.
ReplyDelete-Shaina Parm
John Portelle
ReplyDeleteLooking at teaching the way Ayers said it has always been a back and forth issue for me. This manner of teaching is important for my freedom as an educator and it is a true undertaking of what a teacher or teaching should be the purpose of. Helping others achieve their full measurement of their humanity is such an incredible gift one person can give another and something I believe.
But as Andrew said in his post, who can define the full measure of their humanity and this is the forth part of the issue for me. The overall educational system is a challenge to thinking the way Ayers defines teaching when it is at its best. To me the example of standardization can only customizes human beings and can never actually help in reaching the full measurement of their humanity. But we are measured on that. However those that have set up and adjusted the educational system through out the years all probably felt that they were helping students reach the full measure of their humanity. Finally, I think someone else can say that standardization is the best way to help people reach their full measurement.
When I came to the realization that a career in teaching was one I wanted to pursue, it was for this very hope: "to [help] human beings reach the full measure of their humanity." I realize that I, as a human being and a person, am a direct product of all the people and experiences I have encountered and that have taught me to be who I am now. In a world where so many children lack the teachers and experiences necessary to train them up in the way they should go or show them who they have the potential to be, my hope is that I can create a learning environment that will give them the resources they need to reach that full measure. And if not reach that measure (which I realize is a lofty goal), to at least gain the tools necessary to find that on their own.
ReplyDeleteThere are skills that need to be taught in the elementary school classroom; skills such as reading, reading comprehension and mathematical thought are skills necessary for life. I look forward to being able to show my students how to read and think in these ways. As one of my professors, who will remain nameless once said (and what I almost swore I would never repeat), and I will quote this roughly, "the knowledge and facts we teach in the elementary school classroom is essentially pointless. What is taught in science in 2nd grade will be repeated in 4th and in 9th. If we focus on teaching the tools in the early years, tthe rest will come with ease." I see truth in those words that makes me see the purpose of education more in the light of what Mr. Ayers has said. My goal as an educator is not to simply impart information, which any newscaster or infograph can do just fine, but it is so much more: to teach students to be people.
Seeing the role of a teacher as one who imparts knowledge, is the idea that makes the teacher out to be what I have heard referred to as "the B word", or babysitter. Considering the teacher's job is to help students reach the full measure of their humanity is a challenging idea for the very fact that it gives the teacher too much responsibility and too much power. It's comfortable to send your kids to a babysitter, but for some it's not quite so comfortable to send their kids to someone who has the potential to change them and help them grow without their supervision. It's a job that requires humility.