Teaching That Changes Lives by Marilee G. Adams

Author:Marilee G. Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Published: 2013-02-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

QUESTIONING ASSUMPTIONS

Your assumptions are your windows on the world.

Scrub them off every once in a while,

or the light won’t come in.

Isaac Asimov

With things going so much better for me at school, I looked forward to getting to the classroom every morning, even on Mondays. But I worried about Becky. I couldn’t understand why I still wasn’t reaching her, even with all I’d been learning. What was I doing wrong? Why couldn’t I get through to her?

I decided to write about my problems with Becky in the journal Sophie had given me. But as I opened it up, I found myself getting tense and feeling resistant. Did I have some Judger lurking around, I wondered. What was my body trying to signal to me? Maybe I could use a reflection exercise to help me figure it out. I wrote down the first questions that popped into my mind:

What am I missing? What makes Becky get mad and withdraw every time I try to talk with her? Am I just no good at reaching underachievers? What’s wrong with me that I can’t figure this out? What would Sophie do with Becky?

Then I got an idea that at first seemed a little nutty. Maybe I could use this journal writing to have an imaginary conversation with Becky. I’d tell her what was really on my mind and ask her questions I never could if we were talking for real. This is what I wrote:

My Conversation with Becky

Me: (To Becky) What is it about you? You can be so exasperating! I’m sure you’re far more thoughtful and intelligent than comes across in your school work. Why can’t you just take a little more care? Don’t you recognize your own potential? Why do you push me away when I try to point out your gifts to you? Goodness knows, you’re not disruptive in class, like others I could mention. Becky the vanishing girl. You’re sure good at disappearing, I’ll give you that! I just don’t get it!!! You act like I’m attacking you just for noticing that you exist. That’s when I really go Judger back at you! Maybe I’m just not cut out to be a teacher. Becky, you make me feel so inept—and I hate feeling inept.

Becky: (To me) You really make me mad … Don’t tell me that stuff about potential, whatever that is. Teachers think they’re so smart saying that to kids. I can’t do or be potential. Everybody’s always saying I don’t live up to my potential. Sure, good. That’s just more bad news, another way to say I’m failing, that I’m not good enough for you. How can I do something I’m not … something that’s … well … not even there? You don’t know what I care about. You don’t know what I can do. So stop bugging me about doing something that’s as invisible to me as … I don’t know … turning into an E.T. or Nemo or some terrible monster. Plus, I don’t even believe in stupid monsters like that.

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