I once heard Mary Ann Williamson say that “you teach what you need to learn.” Well, I already know French, so what do I need to learn from my teaching? I need to learn to be in command of my classroom, for one thing. And I need to learn how to be a real teacher as well. What is a real teacher?
In my opinion, a real teacher is a person who tries to launch kids’ curiosity into the heavens every day. A real teacher is a person who fashions their own professional identity and doesn’t rely on the loudest person on the internet to be told what to do. A real teacher is a person who may not have all the answers, but who sets legions of kids running in the direction of wanting to know more.
Thus, for me, I cannot grade my students merely in terms of what they learn; I must also grade them in terms of how they learn (by using jGR).
It crushes dreams to be compared to others, because someone is always better, so I say it again – I must grade my students in terms of how they learn, not how they compare to others. If it is pleasurable for them, I know they are learning.
Krashen said it this way:
“The path of pleasure is the only path. The path of pain does not work for language acquisition.”
Jeff said:
…if we grade them purely on what they can do, then we reward the best students again. We don’t honor those kids who are acquiring, but at a slower rate. If we agree that everyone can acquire a language with enough input, how can we grade them simply on their mastery? If the grade equals mastery, then we say to a kid who is getting it, but not as quickly as others, that he/she gets a C because that is their level of mastery. Then this kid quits because he/she think that they suck at the language can’t do it. We can say, “you are learning, but not as fast as others and so your mastery is not as high. It’s a C level.” Maybe it’s me, but something seems wrong here….
I have always felt the truth of the hypocrisy described above. When we grade a kid at a C level because of. their processing speed, then that is messed up. In my teaching heart of hearts that each one of my kids is doing the best they can at every possible moment, even when they come into class stoned. That is the best they can do at that time on that day based on what their experience of life is at that time in their life.
Children are struggling so hard in school anyway. They are being pummeled with grades. Leon Botstein, the President of Bard University, said that “American schools are obsolete.” I don’t think he meant that just in the sense that people can now use technology/Google to instantly know anything, so memorization tests are no longer valid. I also felt that somewhere in his words there is also the implication that schools no longer serve the emotional needs of kids.
And so I defend how we grade in NTCI (always for the best of the child).
I want my classes to be one of discovering things together with my students. I want to make things with them. I want us to learn together how to have fun while we learn French. I believe that my students need people like me to help them get more curious, and less jaded, about school. I see jaded teachers everywhere.
Is it not better to evaluate kids not just in terms of measurable gains, but also in terms of the heart quality that they bring to the work.
Sounds hokey when things can’t be measured, right? And love certainly cannot be measured because it is boundless. I don’t give a rip how hokey it sounds. If there is no feeling of happiness and if there is no permission given to students to be flawed in my classroom, then I will cry 96 tears. At least I think I will. I’m not sure. Put a question mark after it. It’s all very mysterious.
Related: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeolH-kzx4c