The Experts At The Fence

There's something in this painting and this interpretation of it (The Meeting of The School Trustees by Robert Harris) that resonates with me.

Who does get to decide what is taught and how it is taught?

A governmental bureaucrat, a school trustee, a Chair of a board, a Superintendent, a consultant perhaps, all would say that they have a role in what is taught and how it is taught. No doubt there are many of our neighbours, fellas we play hockey with, friends that we have dinner with, who also believe that they should have a say.

Finally, there are the many teachers who believe they know what is best.

"You work for us" says the Trustee who can't read.  Today he appears as a relative or even a friend who wades into the educational discussion with "The problem with education today....".  There is no end to the people who seem to know what is best for teachers and students and education. Many of them are leaning on school yard fences as they watch their child walk into an elementary school.

I am always stunned by the surety of those who offer unsolicited advice about education.   How are they so sure, while I, after having been in it all my life, still wonder if there is or ever has been, one true path.

Perhaps the problem isn't education but it is how we talk about it.  Maybe we need some guidelines as we address the issue.  Let's start with three.

First, if you haven't been in a classroom lately, maybe the discussion should stay on the philosophical side. Let's stick to what you want out of an education system, what goals it should have, what role you want it to play in a democratic society.  I've built stuff but when I hire a carpenter, I don't tell her how many nails to use.  I give her the big picture of what I want and leave her to it. Let's stay out of the nuts and bolts about delivery. Chances are you really don't know how much home work the teacher should assign.  You probably haven't done the research on new math and you really don't know which approach is better when it comes to language and reading.

Second, your personal mythology should remain just that; mythological and personal.  If you start a sentence with "back in the day " or "when I was in school", you're living in myth. Yes, I know the teachers were mean when you were a kid and yes, you had to know your times table and you MEMORIZED! them. But as an offering into the development of a modern education system, the construction of curriculum and its delivery, your gift of memorization and your horror at the hands of a cruel teacher remain good story and largely irrelevant to the conversation.

Third, if you have an agenda other than the development of literate, critical thinking citizens in a healthy democracy, it should stay out of our discussions about education.   If you're a person who wants evolution taught as just another theory or you want workers not citizens or you think that references to sex in health are yukky, you're looking for a discussion about things other than a modern, progressive education system.

Finally, for active teachers, take inspiration from the painting; the teacher's strength, her determination to stand up to the patriarchy and the privilege.  Rely on your experience, on your education, on the research that informs your practice, on your judgement, on your collaboration with colleagues and on your knowledge of your students.  These will give you her strength.