|
Say What?
By Don Staheli
He
loved the teacher who allowed him to keep a white rat in his desk.
When we send our children off to school
we can, for the most part, have a high degree of confidence that
they will receive an adequate educational experience. The teachers
are usually dedicated, possess a reasonable understanding of the
course material, and have in mind the best interests of the students.
I am grateful for the corps of educators
who guided my years of schooling and gave so much to my own children
as they walked the sometimes tedious but often exciting pathway
of formal education. —
The best teachers seem to be those
who communicate to both the mind and the heart of the student. Miss
Thompson (it was really Mrs. and, yes, I was a disappointed nine-year-old
when I learned she had another man in her life) not only taught
me the art and wonder of reading but also empowered me as a person.
By allowing me to keep a pet white
rat in my desk during the day and by providing an aquarium for the
pollywogs we caught after school at the pond, she sent the message
that even our childish notions could be made meaningful and become
learning experiences. In that case, I learned that cleaning up after
a white rat that has been all day in a desk is not particularly
pleasant.
I had another teacher who ranted and
raved to control the class and seemed bent on making each of her
students afraid of her. She sent a message also. She appeared to
be telling us that education was not supposed to be fun and that
if you wanted to have a good time you had to do it surreptitiously
when you thought you would not be caught in the useless act. I have
only vague memories of that year and can't even remember the teacher's
name. I guess I'm in a sort of denial that such a school year ever
occurred in my life.
Obviously, taking full advantage of
our educational experiences does require a great deal of effort.
Learning seems to offer almost equal doses of joyous epiphany and
downright toil and drudgery. We need to work up a few good brain
calluses if we really want to get a powerful grip on the subject
matter.
But in addition to discipline, an emotionally
warm environment is necessary for the incubation of good ideas and
for healthy educational development. Sometimes a deficit in academic
excellence on the part of a teacher can even be offset by the fact
that he or she really cares about the students.
An educator with whom we spent many
years as our children, one by one, rung by rung, climbed the elementary
school ladder, was outstanding in his attitude even though his own
intellectual prowess was perhaps less than razor sharp. He created
a successful climate for learning despite the fact that he may have
appeared to some to be less than learned himself.
He was kind of a down-home guy for
whom dress for success meant nothing more than clean and modest.
For him, the English language was easy, because he did not worry
about the conjugation of many of the verbs. "To see,"
for example, was used only in one form, regardless of the subject
or tense, as in, "I know he's here, I seen him." Or, "We
seen that movie and they seen it with us!"
I suppose he spent so little energy
worrying about grammar that he could devote more than usual effort
caring for the pupils in his devoted charge.
At first his grammar grated on our
ears as if he were scouring the chalkboard with overgrown fingernails.
But it didn't take long to realize that he was a master at creating
an atmosphere of exciting discovery and we could teach good grammar
at home. It was a small price to pay for the lasting benefit of
a schoolroom in which a nurturing teacher worked his magic and grew
the minds and hearts of his young scholars.
These days the idea of mentors has
really caught on. To have a dedicated mentor is like hooking your
wagon to a rocket. Such a personal guru will guide and inspire and
very often help to flatten the steepest learning curve. One such
once said to me, "I can teach in you in five weeks what it
took me five years to learn, because no one was there to guide me."
He did. I still had to put my newfound knowledge into disciplined
practice, but my practice could come much closer to perfection as
a result of his beneficent tutelage.
There is a certain triteness to the
saying, "I don't care how much you know until I know
how much you care." But there is also a great deal of truth
in that well-worn proverb. When we hear a person slaughter the King's
English, we might recoil and think to ourselves, "Say what?"
But if we listen carefully and see beyond the grammar, we may be
in for a learning treat. I know, because I done it once or twice.
People
learn best what they are taught with love.
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2006 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
| 
