I know that it has been around twenty years since I was in high school, but I must say that it feels like only yesterday. Perhaps because it was. I took time away from my regular classes last Monday to shadow a Junior and to get a feel for how it felt to “go back to school”.
I don’t want to give you a detailed analysis of the day, though I have notes if you’d like. Instead let me share a few insights that I gained from the day. Although these are numbered, they are not in any ordered. I just like giving things numbers.
1. There is a pro and a con to getting up every 45 minutes and going to a new class. Every class period I was in was very different. In the delivery of instruction or the assignments/activities that were given, each was very different. Some classes I would have loved to have been in until lunch, others I was glad for a break and a stretch. After one class I asked my teen if she like the class style and she said that “it helped her learn”. I had a different opinion. The take away from this after talking to the teen I was following was simply this. We all have different learning styles and what didn’t work for me, actually worked for her. Variety can be good.
2. I was in one class in the morning where we were looking at reliable sources. A topic that is very important, especially with tertiary level academic writing that we are preparing these young ladies for. But I found that at the end of the day, it had already been covered in the Social Studies class, and probably the English class. It seemed that I could have been given a reminder on the lesson given in the Social Studies class on the reliability of resources, instead of taking up 45 minutes discussing it in another class that morning. If we were being more intentional with our cross curricular discussions, we could be helping each other and the students, instead of assuming that we need to cover every lesson in every class.
3. It seems as though there is preference given by students to some classes, and generally when there is a test coming up that day. It is typical to see students studying on the side for their 4th period class where there is a test. They are studying for this test during 2nd period though. Flipping between screens on their iPads and computers to try and multitask. The students are trying hard and have their best intentions, I have not doubt about that. But there is a stress that has been created where they prioritize learning and assessment.
4. It was plain exhausting. I kept wondering where my prep period went. Seriously. I wanted to just stop and process the information I was given. Perhaps some time to chat with people openly about the classes, and to go on that tangent that I wanted to make in Sport Medicine where I wanted to share my scar stories. It was also exhausting going from one subject to another. I love making connections between subjects, but the day felt like I was boxing in my learning from class to class. No offense to any teachers, if there is an offense I’m giving it to the textbook.
5. Last observation from the day. I spend most of my time when I teach out of my seat trying to engage my students. But as a student I was only able to engage from the seat of an uncomfortable, hard, heavy and stationary desk. There was no sitting discussing with peers. There was just my small space in the classroom and often where I sat in silence. I was looking forward to the moments that I could actually open my mouth when it was at an appropriate time, such as to answer a question the teacher asked.
This is just from a day, but it was an interesting experience. I know that this school model is “normal” and that the students don’t see anything wrong with it. I feel that there could be a liberation away from norm and we could all learn like adults. Away from the lecture and the sage on the stage. I just wanted to have input to the class and for an avenue for creativity.
