Commentary: Mooney's Class
Antelope Valley Press
Edward Mooney, Jr.
September 12, 2005

Title: What if WE'RE the problem?

As a teacher I see myself as someone who's a catalyst for learning - I try
to improve the learning process.  I pray that I'm never a retardant -
someone who blocks learning.

So, how do teachers block learning anyway?

There are many ways we do this.  The obvious obstacle is not presenting the
material, in one way or another.  Fortunately, there aren't many teachers
who fall into this category, in my opinion.  Yes, there are some, but I
don't believe this is the biggest problem.  Let's keep looking.

A second way to block learning is to use materials not appropriate to the
class or age group.  I've seen textbooks better suited for students years
older.  Yes, they "should" rise to the occasion and use that material, but
is that the point?  Most kids just give up.

Another way we stop education is that some of us really can't communicate
well.  Have you ever had a teacher you just can't understand at all, even
though they're speaking English?

Now we get to the major problem, in my opinion: some of us can't truly
control a class properly.  Notice that I said "properly", not "enough".
Being a rigid control freak is not "proper".  I was taught that there are
many types of classroom management styles - such as relationship-builders,
authoritarians or consensus-builders - but more and more teachers are
bailing out on better techniques and settling for "authoritarian".  Some
call that "excellent".  I call it "destructive".

Whether we want to admit it or not, some teachers have become micromanagers.
We're obsessing about a kid's frayed pocket, or whether or not they used the
right ink color on an assignment.

So, you ask, how does this impede learning?  It scares me that some of my
colleagues can't see what this does.  In a simple phrase: it builds
resentment on a monumental scale.  They mistake student docility for
learning and agreement; they're actually scared of you.

When someone does not speak up against authoritarians it does not always
signify agreement: often the other person knows that they won't listen.  I'm
seeing more and more (at epidemic proportions) kids who hate school, who
hate their teachers, and who hate everything about learning.  As an
American, a parent, and an educator, I would be remiss if I did not bring
this to the attention of our society.

A professor of mine years ago described something called "episodic
learning".  In this concept, kids cram for a test, take the test and then
mentally drain the information, never wanting to hear, see or feel that ever
again.  This is now the norm in schools.  We're trading a short-term gain in
test scores for the love of learning.  More and more I hear about kids who
hate books, or anything to do with knowledge, understanding or wisdom.

Some teachers have become the blockage - we're making kids hate to learn.  I
see this in my students more and more, and, to my disgust, in my own
children.  The only problem is that we won't see the bill for this until
these kids are much older - and unwilling to continue learning.  They'll be
difficult to keep employed because our legacy of authoritarian obsession has
left them rebellious and angry.  That will happen about when we retire.

Sure, politicians who care only about the next election pressure us - but
they're dead wrong.  I will not hurt a kid.   If you're a teacher who runs
his or her classroom with an iron hand - I need to tell you that I see the
results of that later - in my classroom.  Rebellion, resentment, and a
hatred of school are now at epidemic proportions.

Maybe this I what test-obsessed want, but not me.  I'm here to learn and to
teach.  If you say I don't belong in education anymore then neither do the
vast majority of kids oppressed by authoritarian teachers and
micro-management.  Is this what you want for your kids, Antelope Valley?
Speak out against it now - for YOUR children.  Write your representatives,
the Runners, and talk to your principals.

Do this or live with the growing rebellion I see in your children.

Thought for the Week:  "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy
in creative expression and knowledge. " - Albert Einstein

Edward Mooney, Jr., of Palmdale, is a teacher at Quartz Hill High School and
the author of the novels "The Pearls of the Stone Man" and "The Journey of
the Stone Man".