Teaching these days amounts to a lot of micromanagement, and not by the teacher: Content restrictions, Control of strategies and presentation. . .lots of fingers in and opinions about the what and how inside a classroom.
Nevertheless, there are still spontaneous moments of joy, curiosity, and inquiry that still manage to bubble through the cracks. Today was one such day.
In English 9, we were finishing Romeo and Juliet; it was the big finale, so we were, of course, acting this one out. In one class, my usual Romeo was gone, so I put a bead on a kid and spent the next few minutes begging, cajoling, coaxing, and finally, succeeding in playing the part. He protested that he only wanted small parts; I told him he could do it and would be great.
I was not wrong. He “Romeo-ed” like a baller - emotion, energy, and commitment. We laughed and clapped for his efforts.
Likewise, this particular class has surprised the heck out of me with their insights and questions. If one were to simply gauge them as students based solely on ELA skills and proficiency scales, they would be mid, at best. But, when it comes to inferring and connecting content to universal human behavior and motivations, they knock it out of the ball park. And the questions?! They ask some of the best questions. Today, they were fascinated by and inquisitive about tombs: Is the whole family in there? How does it work? Doesn’t it stink? And on and on.
THIS, my friends, is the heart of education. It starts with a question, which bleeds into a whole tributary of more questions, which branches into connections to other pieces of literature, historical events, and the reasons why Granny acts the way she does.
If we were gauge today solely on scales and skills, this class scored a solid 2-3. They had no problem identifying, explaining, and providing examples of dramatic irony, foreshadowing, and parallel plot. But if we gauge today on the true definition of education - curiosity, connection, engagement, and growth - these guys nailed a four (the arbitrary number assigned to excellence these days).
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