An email from Elissa that should get some varied responses:
Hi Ben!
I have a bunch of questions, and promise I’ll call you sometime on your commute but in the meantime I’m wondering what your thoughts on doodling are. I’m trying to prohibit it– I can’t have eye contact when a kid is focused on drawing– but kids are using the “i need to doodle in order to focus” argument. Today I asked if they doodle when they watch a movie and most said “well, no…..” . Ha!
I insisted that hard core doodlers stop doodling today and then they spilled water on their desks and were doodling in the water!
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Elissa
My response: Elissa my question is this – why are they not making eye contact? Dogs don’t make eye contact over trust issues. They need to hide because they don’t feel safe. Or not welcome. That would go back to how you personalized the room at the first of the year. Somehow, I can’t see that as a problem for you. You have worked hard on personalization and you teach in a very welcoming way. Your style is so direct and permission giving and you always have that ready smile. That’s not it.
So what is it? Why do they doodle in your classroom? Besides the trust issue, doodling is a normal human reaction to having been told since the beginning of one’s schooling to write stuff down. People think that if a kid writes it down, they are learning it. So now here you are asking them to show up as human beings because you know how people really acquire languages, via reciprocal and participatory social skills. You tell them to do their 50%. But since they never have been held socially responsible in any of their classes by the teacher, only academically so, they revert to what they know – hiding.
I just don’t allow it. I don’t go for the lame “it helps me focus” argument. I make it a big deal, embarrassing the kid. So sue me. I am going to enforce my rules. I have this move with my first two fingers, one pointing at each eye, and I smile and make it clear that I won’t go further until the kid stops doodling.
Like I know what doodling is caused by.There must be some expert with a Ph.D in Doodling Theory. I wonder what others will say about this.