Education in the First Person

After several weeks without Internet, I am posting a whole bunch of stuff at the same time. Here is post #1:


Reading Kozol's essay "First Person," followed by Baxter's short story "Gryphon" reminded me how abstract education can feel. Far too often, there is school and there is real life. There are books we read for pleasure and assignments we read because the teacher tells us to. There emails and notes and poems we write because something within us compels us to communicate our thoughts and dreams and opinions and needs. And there are papers we write because a syllabus tells us they are due.


It may be tempting to address this disconnect by making school more fun and less demanding. Such temptation is born of a desire create an educational experience that is appealing and "relevant" for students. But the problem with "edutainment" is that it's never quite as entertaining as true entertainment. And it feels empty and devoid of meaning, because it has been stripped of its meat: all sizzle and no steak.


I worry about my own impulse to veer too far in either direction. I worry I will strand my students in a bewildering sea of old-school Socratic instruction, teaching Literature with a capital L and providing no opportunity for students to connect their reading with their own capital I sense of self. Or, alternatively, I might fill my classroom with the glittering sparkle of video clips and online presentations, giving my students plenty of opportunity to express themselves, without linking their creativity to knowledge.


I'm drawn to both extremes, for different reasons. My impulse to channel Professor Kingsfield from The Paper Chase wars with my desire to emulate Mary Poppins. I want to challenge students to think for themselves, but I also want them to experience learning as a joyful adventure. I want to hold my students to the highest standards, but I also want them to feel known and included as individuals.


I know I should find a happy medium. But the truth is, I fear I will end up like Miss Ferenczi: 50% crazy, 50% engaging, and 100% fired.


I think that is one reason why we don't teach students to speak in the first person. We want to hold knowledge at arm's length. We don't want things to get too personal in the classroom. We want students to respond to texts "authentically" but not inappropriately. We want to share ideas with students, but we don't want them to go to the principal and get us fired for being too "out there." As a result, we end up speaking in generalities and giving the impression that class discussions are about other people, in other places. That way it never gets too real and no one ever gets offended.