I went to high school in the deep South, in a school system with no
money and no support from parents. The teachers were burned out and
tired. Their goal was to keep order in the classroom, and the good ones
managed to do it. The really good ones still had minimal expectations...
but the basic problem was that this school existed in an environment
where education was not valued. Sitting in class was a punishment
for some students--especially in the heat of August with no air conditioning,
but I digress. There's been a lot of talk about fun in the classroom
and intrinsic motivation for learning. That's fine when you're talking
about white middle class kids in a school system with lots of support.
What about a school system in a poor, rural community in which
the residents have very little formal education?
What about my high school? What would you tell those teachers?
How would you engage those kids in learning in a non-coercive, fun way?
I think this is the real challenge. It seems to me that
rich white kids do well no matter what kind of curriculum you devise for
them. And, frankly, we've been catering to their needs long enough,
don't you think?
-Pam Schulze