Jazz at the Improv

Kappa Delta Pi Record, Fall 2004 by Mantle-Bromley, Corinne

Several groups actively opposed the change. Some teachers bemoaned the fact that their curriculum would have to be completely redone. Others noted that they could not possibly lecture for 90 minutes. Teachers who lived in the area were concerned that a longer lunch break would increase neighborhood vandalism. None of these concerns placed the students' learning at the center of the decision. Instead, the arguments were about adults and the security that would be derived from maintaining the status quo-in other words, about their own fears and limitations.

Finally, a focus by teachers on how and what they themselves are doing may mean that the needs and life experiences of at least some students end up being largely ignored. As mentioned earlier, my first teaching position included teaching Spanish, for which, at the time, I felt quite prepared. That position also required me to teach a tracked course in basic English for low-achieving students-for which I was anything but prepared.

My English classroom was an embarrassment. I simply wasn't qualified to teach English. To make matters worse, my students were those who had not succeeded in prior English classes, and their future success simply did not matter to many in the school. I had neither adequate textbooks nor a curriculum. I was provided handouts that the students had likely seen before, rejected books, and other hand-me-down materials. Worried sick about how I would do, I didn't think to explore what my students already knew about the language or what interests they had that might connect to speaking and writing.

To teach students different from ourselves, we need to develop relationships with them that honor and reflect their interests, the knowledge they already possess, and their unique talents and strengths. Learning, after all, does not occur in a vacuum. It occurs within a particular social structure. The social reality of the classroom, the school, and the community must be taken into consideration.

Nurturing Pedagogy

Accommodating student differences within these contexts requires that teachers balance what they teach with how students experience that teaching. Following are three pedagogical stances that can help us gain this larger perspective. These stances promote what colleagues at the Institute for Educational Inquiry refer to as "nurturing pedagogy."

A teacher's responsibility is to nurture each student's sense of self.

Anyone who has spent much time around schools has encountered the student with a strong emerging sense of self. For me, Tom comes to mind. He knew humor was his strength. He planned to go to college. He was confident in his interactions both with his peers and with adults. He understood responsibility and trust. Though he clearly benefited from the guidance he received from others, his needs were different than Jeannie's or Luke's.

Jeannie was one of my first students. She worked hard to make herself invisible, never volunteering a word or a smile. Small wonder; her father and brothers were sexually abusing her. So how was Jeannie's sense of self developing? Is it even possible to develop a self when that self is being routinely and violently denied?