Besides what was previously said to me about not having a drive, I do have another key factor in what changed my narrative on schooling. Though it’s less of just one simple reason, as it breaks down to multiple. Some dealt by the sociological standpoint of things. In my years of learning under multiple teachers and seeing different ways of viewing their tone of speaking and how they portray themselves, they’re aware of how they stand within the lives of students. The first way I feel like they treat students is a sort of hivemind situation, when they go along with what’s generally right. Even to something that seems so minor, if they feel like it’s a personal attack on them, no matter what it actually is, then they have the power and status as an adult or teacher to oppress you with that same status. Especially when you’re younger, more impressionable and less critical of what’s being provided to you. Whenever a person would act out of “line” or “unacceptably,” they would usually be on the receiving end of a punishment, which isn’t the right way of doing things. I feel like the reinforcement of personal issues mattering than strict rules isn’t something you should be forced to abide by. My main example was the personal time where I was asked to hand my teacher a water bottle which I had been bottle flipping, which was a big thing at the time. She was halfway across the classroom, about 4 rows of tables and chairs down from me, and yet she held out her hands from that distance. In my mind, this seemed as if she wanted for me to just throw it towards her. So I did. For the time being, I spent the rest of the day in the office of administration, explaining how I didn’t assault her and it was just me throwing a bottle to an adult who was staring right at me and had their hands wide open in a baseball 1st base stance. Complete and utter core memory inside of that school.
Another factor about teachers that I caught on to, thankfully early, was that they’re human, just like us. When I first found this out, I didn’t think to much of it, as it was in 8th grade, a teacher kept missing mistakes on a few questions during a mathematics lecture. Then, I started to view it through a different standpoint, through the thoughts they portray, through the lessons they teach, and even through the words they speak. To make this more accessible, I’ll just go through the words they speak, yes? When students in older years started to become more disruptive and make fools out of themselves, the teachers would always, without fail, throw jabs at what they’re future could possibly look like. Now this may not seem like a big thing, but this is not only a massive observation on the person stating this’ character, this is completely uncalled for and a big reason why students lack drive in classes. When those insults are said, this shows the teacher’s personal HUMAN views, and how it’s not necessarily their fault alone. It’s the fault of generations who pass down beliefs that people who haven’t succeeded are either homeless, working minimum wage or just strung out on drugs. This is not the case, almost ever, and for them to say these things blatantly is just a horrible mindset to have. So while knowing the teachers/professors are people just like us, it’s also as justifiable to have a problem with the way they think or prop themselves towards ideologies. Thinking people are any less because of their situation in life only shines how uninformed the person in question is. Just because they’re like us doesn’t change the fact that we will have things we disagree on, and the factor I mentioned isn’t something that can be idly swiped under the rug.
My whole thing here isn’t to bash teachers. I feel most of my teachers (mainly Ms. Geller from 9th grade Writing Seminar) were amazing at their jobs. The only problem I have is this view of teachers being completely justified, always right with an example of a moral compass. The core problem with this is the manipulation factor that I have experienced. My biggest annoyance in life is people who wriggle their way into things they don’t deserve by any means necessary, and an English teacher I had was definitely one of them. Whilst I was still trying to find my place in who I wanted to be as a student and learner, I had one teacher who had favorites, and anyone else would never get any attention, whether is be for tutoring, or help getting grades up. In this fact, if I were to reach out to her in attempt to ask about boosting my grade through extra work, I would be met with how it was my fault for not getting the work done in the first place, which is of course understandable. My issue stemmed from the fact that DIRECTLY after that, she would allow an easy amount of work which would generously boost those select group of kids grades. I always held a grudge on her for that, and barely missed too much work, but I did do a lot of it wrong since I didn’t understand her content. I feel like no matter how much I asked, I would never get an accurate response to my questions or sufficient help to my worries. When the end of the semester came around, I accepted my lower ended grade and just settled to get better teachers the next time around, but apparently she thought otherwise. She attempted to embarrass me in what I feel as the most disappointing way possible. When it came to grades rolling around for the PTC, we had to meet with all teachers, and most gave good responses, but we had her for last since she was my lowest grade at the time, like a 65. She made up a sob story about how I was super disrespectful, which granted, I was when I realized she was juts playing with my grade, but I was a dumb 8th grader, you know? She proceeded to lie about how I’d never try to pass and I’d just goof around all class and give no effort to even learning the curriculum. Thing is, all my classes were in the high end 80s. So that didn’t make sense, but apparently to my pops it did. He made an excuse about a reason of how I could have failed and left disappointed? Honestly never really saw teachings the same after her, really tainted classes for me.
All in all, I believe that everyone is justified to their opinions and biases of the educational system, and that includes all pros and cons. What I may have experienced in my time could be compared to someone else’s experience in their time. My problem was, in general, the fact that they take their positions in some instances of high regard or completely senseless, as there should be a professional balance in the classroom. The power of pushing knowledge onto a generation is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly but also something that should be handled with ease and care. You should not allow personal preference or ideologies effect what it means to educate, and just stick to providing students with the best learning experience on the topic you teach. Three factors I have come across have been the social idea of hivemind behavior, where if one person thinks one way, in order to not stick out, you will usually place yourself in between that thinking process. Another being the psychological attacks of character based on personal beliefs, even though they are both unjustified and incorrect. The third factor is the position of power they’re placed at, which allows for no room of doubt, even if evidence is placed of negating what you’re being accused. These have left a stain on my learning perspective and ever since, I just try to do what I can to pass and get on with classes, nothing more and nothing less.
