The Complexity of Teaching

As we haven’t had any discussion classes for a week, I decided to look for another type of reading to blog about. I quickly remembered a book called Teaching from the Inside Out by Larry Beauchamp (Dean of Faculty of Education) and Jim Parsons. This book was the first book that ever introduced me to concepts of teaching. I had to read it in my Intro to Ed. Class in Medicine Hat and I remember always thinking that it was a very interesting book. The two authors of the book are professors at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. I especially enjoy this book because it gives you the truth about teaching. It does not constantly talk about the wonderful joys of teaching, but also the faults, issues and things that need to be dealt with. It shows a sense of reality. They both believe that “learning to teach means more than learning a list of skills and techniques. Schools are more than factories for churning out products” and I think that this is very important. There are a couple of interesting chapters that deal with issues in Education, but the first one that I wanted to discuss was titled “The Complexity of Schools and Classrooms.”

It starts out the chapter by saying: “If you had a nickel for everyone who asked if you became a teacher to ‘get summer vacation,’ you’d be rich. Get used to it. It’s a ‘crack’ you’ll hear repeatedly from now until your teaching career is finished.” I completely agree with what they said, as I have already experienced this saying and I have not even started yet. It is not just about summer vacations but also Christmas holidays, Easter, and of course weekends. Teachers do not get the respect that they deserve from many people. Teaching is always seen as a career that is easy. The question that the authors are trying to answer in this chapter is “What does the job of teaching look like from the other side of the teacher’s desk” with the first answer being complex.

WHY IS TEACHING SO COMPLEX?

We are working with people

As a teacher, we are constantly on the move and sometimes we do not have the time to think about what we need to do before we do it. This can be complicated because everything that we do and all of the interactions that we have with the students are important and can be life changing. Although you are in a building with many other teachers, there is little time for exchanging of thoughts or having someone watch you teach, so it is difficult to know exactly how you are doing as a teacher.

A lonely job

Although you truly enjoy all of the students that surround you, it is sometimes difficult when all you want to do is speak with another adult. This is not only within the schools, but also at home. The authors say that it is very difficult to live with a teacher because “it’s more than a job; it’s a life.” We cannot leave work at work. It always comes home with us. With someone at home to talk to, this can help, but the authors say that although they may listen at first, they will eventually not want to talk or listen to anything about teaching.


Schools are complex

This part of the chapter discusses each move that a school makes and therefore interacts with a student can affect them in many ways. The ways that schools separate students by ability can make a statement to a child that is very powerful. “Sometimes the voices of school tell kids that they are losers; sometimes it works the other way around. What a child learns in school is not always bad, but it is not always good either.” When I first read this book three years ago, I thought no way at all is this true and I did not want to believe that teachers/schools/administrators had this type of negative influence on students. Now, since we have discussed how depressing schools can actually be, I can see where these authors are coming from. I will still never fully understand until I am there. We as teachers have the lives of people’s children in our hands. Before schooling was thought to be necessary, parents strived to send their children to schools because they had envisioned a future of education for their children. “Consider how important school is to parents before you become a teacher.” This was a very powerful quote and is truly something that all hopeful teachers should question of themselves. Schools are also complex because they are all different. They all encompass different rules, teachers, and students and therefore all have very different personalities.

Students are complex people

As the saying goes, no two students are alike. If this is true, then why are students placed within schools that treat them this way. “They use the same textbooks, take the same notes, are treated the same way, take the same tests, listen to the same teacher who teaches in the same way.” This is the case as it allows teachers to teach. We as teachers have to remember that there is more to life than school for these students. Remember that when they do not do their homework, are not motivated in class that there may be another reason for you to consider besides them simply not wanting to.

The curriculum is complex

There are two types of curriculum: Overt and hidden. Overt is the rules that we follow that are written down by the government. You will see hidden “expressed in the local and unspoken, but very powerful, ideas about how students act within the school. This type of curriculum has to do with society and has a powerful impact on many students. Some students are set out to fail under these circumstances. Their advice was to remember how lucky we are and all those who are not as lucky as you are.

This chapter had many good ideas about what it means to be a teacher and how we as teachers can affect the lives of many students. What we should be aiming for is a positive change in these circumstances. In addition, always remember to think about the impression you are giving students.