Scrambling for Voice, Choice, and Agency: Episode 8

Lies My Teacher Told Me

Chapter 3
October

From: Chance
Stan returned
To: Kerry sent - Gmail at 8:29 PM
Hi Kerry—

Stan was back in my classroom today. The lesson on the Gold Rush was so boring that the kids just sat there staring at me. Fortunately, they behaved themselves while I droned on.

I found a big graph showing the population growth of California from 1846-2013. I displayed it on the smart board. They could not interact with it. They could not touch anything. All they could do is stare at it. Most likely, they did not really understand it.

I talked, and then I asked questions…Then, I talked some more and asked more questions.

My learning goal for the kids was microscopic.

At the end, I asked them why they thought that California’s population continued to grow even after the Gold Rush slowed. It was a question straight from the curriculum I am supposed to be following.

Now honestly, would you be able to answer that question? Who wrote the curriculum? I keep wondering: Have the curriculum developers ever met a ten year-old?

Stan said he liked the lesson and that he had learned quite a bit. I guess that proves that he is not a fifth grader. Any 5th grader would not give a good review of the lesson. He also gave me good reviews on class control.

I guess boring the kids to death is a good thing in Stan’s world.

Thankfully, he did not mention my tables. Last week, when he complained that I wasn’t teaching, he did not mention my new card tables and chairs. Maybe he has gotten over his obsession with student desks facing the front of the classroom.

Chance

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From: Kerry
Re: Stan returned
To: Chance sent - Gmail 6:23 AM

Hi Chance—

At least Stan thought you were teaching. This is not a man who understands teaching and learning. Teaching is a reciprocal agreement with the learner. If you stand in front of the room and no one is learning, I don’t think you can call that education.

Boring the kids to death is a good way to describe textbooks.

My prediction: You may still need to get your principal to go to bat for you over your classroom furniture.

Wanda Won’t does not like that I am having the kids compare information in the history textbook to information in Lies My Teacher Told Me. The kids are loving what they are learning. They come to school eager to discuss what they have learned about US history.

Wanda has made it clear that she hates Lies. She has told me that she will not approve reimbursing me for the books I bought. I wonder if she can force me to stop using it?

Some of the parents bought more copies of Lies……so that is a good thing. The bad thing is that my credit card is maxed out.

It has been almost a month since we got together. Let’s schedule something soon.

Kerry