Imagining myself as a teacher today
I always decided what I would teach and how I would teach it. Still, I can imagine accepting a contract today and in a district that would place restrictions on what I could and could not teach. I can see myself standing in front of a class, or better yet sitting amongst the students in the social studies where I spent most of my time, usually with eighth graders. Having feigned to do what the district expects of me when I signed my contract, I intend to be a saboteur. I plan to teach in a way that the authorities will not recognize I am subverting their directives. My underlying purpose, as it always was, will be to offer students agency, to let them know that they can be actors in society, to speak up, to care, to bring good into the world.
If I were to offer a contrary curriculum or contrary opinions, I would most likely be discovered and my contract terminated. But I have a different approach in mind that would subvert the school’s directives. At any time during class in which a student offers an opinion, states what she thinks is a fact, or contradicts another’s opinion, I will ask questions, such as: What do you think about what you just said? Where did you get your information? Did someone tell you that? Where did you read about that? Was it from a social media source? From the Internet?
Why the questions? My intention will be for students to develop the habit of considering carefully what they say and recognize the importance of knowing where and from whom they have gotten their information. Engaging in this process, they will learn an essential habit of mind and develop an appreciation of knowing what thereof they speak. With this mindset they will be less susceptible to misinformation (passing on what they hear) and disinformation (misinformation intentionally shared to them). They will become informed citizens.
Every day in class, always assessing, never simply accepting, slow process. A good democracy demands thoughtful citizens who avoid falling into rabbit holes, who don’t abide conspiracy theories. Truth is far more difficult to come to know than accepting lies, especially when they pile up on one another. Or as attributed to Mark Twain, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” A daily habit in search of truth in my 21st century classroom, my students will be invited to tie their shoes and step into world armed with an understanding of what they know and a willingness to speak the truth.
