Christopher Bauer’s Weblog

Greetings,

This comes through  my bloglines.

Essentially it is a history teacher in the U.K. who has become fed up with the educational constraints that he feels himself under.  His complaints mirror my fears about the future of education in the United States.  I find it fascinating, and surprisingly comforting, that this future is not only in the U.S., but the present in the U.K.

Doug, there is something that my TE instructor (I am a senior in the TE program at the moment) has shown me throughout the past school year.  If you can justify your actions with the ‘constraints’ that the administration places on you, you can accomplish the goals that you want to achieve.  Although I don’t know how the educational system is set up in the U.K., in the U.S., educators are given standards and benchmarks regarding what should happen in the classroom.  As an educator, as long as I can justify, say, discussing the genocide taking place in Darfur and encouraging students to do something (and even going as far as letting them choose what), I cannot understand why I would get in trouble with the state or the administration.

My inability to speak from an educated position from the U.K.’s perspective does prohibit me from giving you advice (so does my inexperience, idealistic worldview, I am sure), but I think that teachers cannot become automatons of the state, and if it were to be, the society opens itself to demagogues, extremists, and undemocratic futures.  And THAT scares me.

Greetings,

I was asked to respond to a Kincheloe article and the curriculum of my area regarding economics.  This is how I responded.

If I were asked to teach students the fundamentals of economics, I think my classroom would be constructed in the same manner as I would construct any other classroom. I would attempt promote greater understanding of the world and how it appears to work in my students.

I would start out by outlining what is agreed to be the basics of economics, ideas such as scarcity, trade-offs, interdependence, etc. This could come in the form of examples performed in class (such as demonstrating the Laws of Supply and Demand using candy bars), or discussions and debates (to come to terms with the desire to make money on the stock market, for example, or to reconcile their moral beliefs with that of some company).
I could continue to work within the curriculum (topics such as ‘Guns and Butter’, ‘interest rates/banking system’), but always attempting to place the student into the world in which they live. For example, understanding how they spend money is a way of changing the world around them, either by promoting what is “cool” or promoting something else that is not considered “cool”.

Another way of doing this would be through projects, where students would take their topic, and find out how it applies to them. An example could be what poverty is, how it compares to the wealthy in this nation and in others, and what should be done about it (what they could do) and why.

Overall, my classroom would probably not involve much more than 60% lecture, and even then, the lecture would not be the stereotypical lecture, but rather a teacher-led discussion based on the material. The remaining time would be projects, discussions, and current events speeches (where students would bring in articles relating to economics in some way, and make a brief speech, which could then, possibly, be made into a discussion).

Greetings,

As I returned from my Winter Break, it was time to begin my observations of Miss Silverleaf in Peacebloom High School, a suburban/rural school.  I found Miss Silverleaf in an interesting position.  She had been notified that she was to give a standardized test and a take-home essay test for her final exam.  There are two things that I thought was interesting regarding this situation, the surprise and the format of the exam. 

Although the former was not a surprise to her, the latter was.  Until this point, she had not been notified or forewarned of this part of the exam.  This, in conjunction with the discovery that she needed to be three chapters further than what she thought she needed to be, put her in a bind.  To help alleviate this problem of time constraints (as she has three weeks to do this and review for the exam), she planned library time for the take-home portion.  She then asked the class if they wanted the extra class time, and offered ten extra credit points if they didn’t, since this would help her, but make it more difficult for the students. 

I am not sure that I am completely comfortable with this.  Perhaps because I have never experienced this sort of offer, I have never though about offering extra credit to alleviate a problem of the teacher.  Is this ethical or professional?  I would suppose that this is more professional and ethical than just giving the students the assignment and not giving them time in class.  Indeed, this also allows students to have control of what the classroom does and forces them to make a rational choice between two considerable options.

The other issue was with the structure of the final exam.  The exam is seemingly a copy of any of the recent MEAP Social Studies tests.  Although this idea may not seem to unappealing, the teachers were given no additional resources that help teach the students the skills required to work through the questions posed, let alone understand how to read and come to terms with the test.  Since this is Miss Silverleaf’s first year teaching a general education history class, she has not the experience with this specific system, nor the resource base to accommodate the test and the training.  Although I know little as to what is out there for material to help teach the skills needed, I did suggest that there had to be some sort of guide in the internet that would help, or old MEAP tests that she could work through together with the students. 

Overall, I think this experience with a standardized test for the whole history department has been unpleasant.  The amount of effort Miss Silverleaf will have to go through in order to prepare her students adequately for this test is, in my opinion, atrociously high.  The amount of time that the students will have to spend (probably 3-5 days, in my estimation) in order to get the skills and have a familiarity with the test format could be much better spent either reviewing old material, or examining other topics in history.  Although some blame must fall on Miss Silverleaf, I would also tend to cast some blame on the administration for not adequately supporting her and giving her the materials needed to help her students gain the skill set needed to perform well on the test.

In order to understand the changes I have made, I have decided that I will go through the five major changes that I have made as reviewed my original philosophy statement.  Included in this is a brief description of the nature of the change I made, why I made it, and how it will affect my classroom as a whole.

Change I:

The first significant change I made was a definition of how important making the best choice is to me.  This change stems from a comment on my original philosophy statement asking why this is important at all.  This question struck toward my assumptions of what being a good citizen means and the relation of a good citizen to the society as a whole. 

My conclusion of the importance of making the best choice relies heavily on the notions I had before TE 407, but also drew heavily on discussions that I have had with my mentor teacher and discussions in class.  Several of the philosophical discussions I have had with Miss Vanbeelen have been regarding how some students can be told not to make certain bad choices, and they won’t.  Other students won’t listen to the advice, and will persist in self-destructing manner.  Many times you cannot prevent this behavior from taking place, but will learn the error of their ways after incurring some repercussion that forces them back into the straight and narrow.  Indeed, there was a similar discussion in class, regarding how to get students to listen to your advice and when to give up on them, if there is ever that sort time, at the beginning of the year, which reinforced the importance of making good choices.  Indeed, the movie clip that showed the school who was placed under new administration, which kicked out several students due to their irreconcilable nature.  This might have been a wake up call to many of those students, forcing them to realize the importance of making good choices.

The consequence of this sort of change in the classroom will probably be a desire of me to force responsibilities onto the students, especially in high school.  As Miss Vanbeelen often states, students have to realize that for every action there is a consequence, and many times these consequences are not nice.  This might mean that students will be reminded less of upcoming due dates or will be held to a rigid or high standard of behavior, work, or organization,

Change II:

            The second significant change I made was defining what the term “best choice” means.  Although I knew, entering the course, that the definition of a ‘good citizen’ would vary from person to person, I did not appreciate the idea that the idea of a ‘best choice’ could be disputed until this class. 

Indeed, it was during the review of the original philosophy statement that I was faced with this reality.  Furthermore, this confrontation also was reflected in the Sexias article, regarding the three points of view of Social Studies.  Indeed, I was thinking, very much, in the mode of “the best story,” meaning my story, my perceptions and my assumptions were being transmitted through my writing, and probably, my speech.  The definition of what a best choice, stems also from the Sexias article, as I attempt to make the analogy of two sides, and a large grey scale between the two.  I also make a nod towards the postmodernist camp, stating that there are other ways to view this spectrum entirely, and this scale might be wrong for various reasons.

This new understanding of what the “best choice” would, as the last major change, force students to take a greater responsibility in their school-time jobs, or “face the consequences”, but it would also imply certain things about me.  Indeed, this entire class has taught me that I shouldn’t take anything for granted, and always attempt to look at whatever I, or anyone, says from as many different perspectives as I can imagine, in order to determine what the purpose of their statement, and then precede from there.  This understanding will help prepare me for whatever complaint, or viewpoint might arise in the classroom.

Change III:

            The third change was an attempt to reconcile my ideas of encouraging critical thinking to the restrictions that may be imposed by a curriculum.  At several points in this class, I have come to the conclusion that I might not be able to pursue my aspirations as a teacher to the extent that I want, and at several more points, I have come to the conclusion that not only do I have that ability to do so, but also can explain myself when I may be called out to explain why I chose to perform the curriculum in the way in which I did.

            Perhaps the most critical discussion from class that dealt with this topic and was formative in my philosophy was the one regarding the Michigan Standards and Benchmarks.  Indeed, Jim stated that these standards and benchmarks are incredibly easy to meet, as long as one actually stays on a “Social Studies Topic.”  This was significantly reinforced when I examined my first lesson plan, a discussion session regarding the current Iraq War.  I was amazed at how many criteria one lesson plan could fulfill.  At that point, I came to the realization debates, discussions, and other ‘higher level’ thinking operations, were more beneficial to fulfilling these criterion than the traditional lecture based classroom. 

            This decision, as shown in my statement, will probably cause me to have several large units, focusing on various topics, strung together by lectures that attach the main units and ideas together.  This will give me the time I would like to devote the time I would like to developing higher level thinking, which would fulfill many of the criterion put forth by the state, and allow for the major themes show through.

Change IV:

            The fourth significant change was one made to explain my decision of a school’s place in society.  This change originated as a challenge from Jim as to my definition of the “Real World.”  My defense of my statement was terrible, as I found out when I stumbled through a half hearted reply, since it relied on half-educated feelings and assumptions that I made as a High School student.

            I was intrigued by the discussion that arose from the challenge, where one student stated that school could be considered as a “proxy” for the real world.  While this rang true to me, I couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that life for the students was as real as they wanted it to be.  This change, perhaps the most drastic of all five, was supported by several of the students at my field placement, whom belong to the stereotype of high school girls who’s entire world revolves around their social circle, and anything beyond that was either frivolous or not important.

            This will have bode for a significant change in my thoughts and ‘off the cuff’ remarks to the students regarding why things are important.  They will not be important “in the real world,” but rather are important now, because this existence that the students live in, is real.   

Change V:

            The fifth, and final, significant change made was an expansion on an existing thought. This change actually occurred when I was rereading the original, looking for changes in my thought.  This paragraph simply seemed incomplete to me.  Frankly, I could not understand why, until I decided it required an elaboration on my views of the interconnectedness of the subjects of Social Studies. 

            This change and expansion of that section primarily came from experiences from my field placement, as the students often were (or claimed to be) in the dark regarding how various Social Studies subjects inter-related or even how various subjects in American history were related.  To this, I could only shake my head and make an attempt to explain how the various subjects are related and what themes I saw throughout history.  It is my view, and has been for several years, that an understanding of history by the majority of students comes not from memorization of a vast amount of information, but rather an understanding of themes that cause events to happen in the various ways in which they did.

            Again, as with change III, this, I believe, leads me to come to the understanding that a system of understanding a relative few amount of topics in American history in great depth is superior to having a cursory and half-hearted understanding of the vast majority of topics in American History (or Social Studies in general).  With several in-depth topics, delineated by a few, strategically placed lectures, would reconstruct a topic for students in a way that they would find more valuable and would be more interested in

After a semester in my TE 407 class, we were asked to revise the philosophy statement we wrote 4 months ago.  We were also asked to write a narrative talking about what we changed and why.  That part will follow.

    It is my belief that the ultimate purpose of a teacher is to educate students in how to become ‘good citizens’.  Although this phrase, ‘good citizen’, may differ from one person to another, I believe that a good citizen is a person who will gather information and then analyze the information as to make the best decision possible in order to fulfill their goals, whether it be to maximize their benefits, minimize harm done in the situation, or, most generally, make the best choice available.  This ability of being able to make the best choice available is hugely important, as every adult has to make decisions every day, many of which have huge influence in their futures.  In high school, the decisions made are becoming increasingly important in the students’ lives, and being able to make thoughtful decisions based on logic and rationalism is very important. 

            This making the best choice available can mean several things, and some explanation is needed.  Indeed, one could think that the best choice available would be the one that has the largest benefit for the student, whereas one could think the best choice available would be the one that has the largest benefit for the society as a whole.  Others might attempt to balance the two extremes in varying shade of grey, and still more others might decide that other things are important.  Here, again, the teacher can play a role, albeit a silent role.  Teachers, in my opinion, should not attempt to indoctrinate their students, but rather show them one model of where you exist on that spectrum.  It is, in this way, students can decide for themselves what it means to be an adult.   

From this fundamental purpose of a teacher, I believe that I will want to provide a good environment to hone these skills on a regular basis.  A well-honed, analytical mind is trained and maintained through constantly approaching new problems, researching them, presenting a case, then defending against the dissenting opinions.  Namely, the skill of thinking critically comes from debate, logical construction of arguments, and understanding that these situations are not isolated debates, but new ones are constantly formed and created. 

But how can this be brought into the classroom?  I believe that through several open debates, discussions, arguments, these skills can be honed and brought to bear on issues, not only the classical Social Studies, but also issues that are prevalent in the classroom.  Depending on the curriculum, it could force the classroom away from the idea of a narrative story, where the students attempt to learn a huge amount of information from a lecture based classroom, and toward some sort of system where there are several major issues that are important and discussed in depth, and other topics might be used as a linkage between the two.

This, I believe, is where the student-teacher relationship should begin.  Although there is a need for an aura of authority from the teacher, as to maintain discipline and order in the classroom, the teacher needs also to build a sort of professional relationship with the students, as s/he guides the student’s education in the direction of more complex and critical thought.  This professional relationship can include, but is not limited to, understanding the basic personal life of the students, hopes and goals of the student, and a mutual respect, and will allow the teacher to motivate the student more easily than if this relationship was not present.  The teacher must also show the student that critical thought does not happen on the school grounds only; it happens everyday in what some call the “Real World,” meaning the world that exists outside of the school walls.  This real world, however exists inside the school walls as well.  One cannot decide that real life starts at a certain point in life and only in certain places.  Life is life, and the students’ existence is as real to them as my existence is to me.  Students, however, will need to put the skills honed in the classroom to good use outside of the classroom.

This final point and goal of a teacher, allowing the student to realize that the problems that the student faces in school is not isolated, but is related to problems that exist outside of school, brings me to my final belief, the connection between teacher-student-social studies.  It is my belief that social studies is the study of societies, either through social constructs such as economics, politics, through physical barriers such as those represented in geography, or through the beliefs of what happened in the past, history.  Each of these studies are not isolated, as one directly affects the other in countless ways, and this web should not be studied merely in the classroom, but the students must realize that what happened in the past and why it happened have a lasting impact on current or recently occurred events.  Hopefully, students from my class will come to this realization that historical events affect other historical events which affect current events as well as economic theories are played out in historical events, and etc.  This sort of interconnectedness can stem from not only bringing in other subjects, but also stating that you are doing so.  By declaring that you are bringing in other subjects, and showing how they interrelate, students might come to the understand the interconnectedness of the subjects.   

            Ultimately, I believe the role of a teacher, and more specifically a Social Studies teacher, is to create good citizens, people who will gather information, realize what the best choice is for them depending on their goals, and then act on those decisions.  These citizens shall make a lasting impact on society as they will be willing to act on their decisions and beliefs. 

Greetings,

This past week, in my education class, we have performed a lesson on a “controversial subject.”  Along with this, we are required to think on one of them and provide comments on another lesson.

The presentation regarding the McDonaldization of college degrees was very interesting to me.  First off, I want to know where my toy is! 

Secondly, my mentor teacher and I have talked, fairly extensively, on this topic and how the state is playing into this ideology.  The Governor stated that Michigan needed to have a highly educated workforce in order to attract corporations into this area.  For the most part, I agree.  But what does this say about many ‘low-end’ jobs?  Indeed, if I want to be a cashier at Meijer for 30 years, build up enough money to live a simple life and provide for myself in old age, isn’t that the American dream, in one of its many forms?  As a consumer, I don’t care what my cashier learned in high school, or if s/he went to college, just as long as they get me through the line quickly and accurately. 

Also, what is going to happen with other types of experiences, such as a tech center, or some place that is more hands on and can start students on the track of becoming a certified somethingorother?  These are great experiences for some students, but if they are required to buy into this idea that everyone has to go onto college or something, then they will miss out on this great use of their time and waste money.  Once again, as a consumer, do I really care if my electrician knows what a comma splice is, or who wrote Hamlet? 

Oh well, I suppose just a few thoughts as to why the McDonaldization of Education might not be as cracked up as it is.  And I want my toy with this degree!

Greetings,

Today in my TE class we watched a selection of Dave Chappelle in “Inside the Actors Studio”.  We were told to respond to these three questions.

“I wasn’t crazy, but it’s incredibly stressful. And I felt like in a lot of instances I was deliberately being put through stress because, when you’re a guy that generates money, people have a vested interest in controlling you. And I feel like the people that were trying to control me were putting me through stressful situations.”

- Dave Chappelle

1. Substitute “knowledge” for “money”. Do people have a vested interest in controlling teachers? If so…who are they? If not, what is the difference/where does this analogy fail?

Overall, I believe this would be a reasonably accurate analogy to teaching.  People do have a vested interested in controlling the teachers, especially of controversial topics, such as Social Studies.  This is evidenced in the rules, curriculums, and laws that are put in place to control what are taught and how they are taught.  These would represent the stress that would be put on those who generates knowledge.  In these terms, I think it would actually be more stressful than what Chappelle describes, since instead of the one or two groups that attempt to control Chappelle, SS teachers have several groups attempting to influence how and what knowledge is generated in the classrooms.  Through the laws, such as NCLB, rules and norms in the districts that we may teach in, various viewpoints on history and social studies are forced on us, not to mention our own framework with which we believe to be the “correct” paradigm.

2. Was this an appropriate piece to watch in a social studies methods course? why or why not? what did this offer you in terms of your thinking about social studies? OR..why did this have nothing to do with social studies education?

This was as much connected to social studies education as you want it to be.  To Briarthorn, this was incredibly linked to SS, and to the casual observer, there might be a tenuous link.  To me, I found that there was a link.  With the proper structuring, as Briarthorn provided, I was able to bridge the gap and understand how the main theoretical themes that Chappelle talks about to the main themes that Briarthorn has been talking about in the TE class.  One thing that I found interesting was Chappelle’s monologue about “being crazy”.  Indeed, Chappelle states that when people put the label of crazy on someone or something, it is a dismissive term, and little or no attempt is made come to an understanding.  Also, if any understanding is come to, it rarely includes how the environment played a part in how the ‘crazy’ issue came to be that way.  Another, which has been talked about before in the class, was the difference in African American vernacular language, and what is commonly referred to as ‘proper English’.  Chappelle states that African Americans are “bilingual by nature”, as they have an understanding of both dialects.  This would tie into TE class, because someone, somewhere had to teach them the ‘proper English,’ and more than likely, it was a teacher in some shape.  

3.  What pedagogical issues does Dave Chappelle highlight for you? In other words, what issues/topics does his interview make necessary if education is going to be deemed, for him, succesfull? 

Probably the most obvious is the last comment we heard, was that “America needs an honest discourse with itself” on “Who we are,”  “What we are,” and “Where do we want to go.”   This would not happen, I believe, in how the current system works, as there are often people who attempt to have this discourse, but are label “traitors,” or “unpatriotic”.  By making this label, it often has the same effect in that circle as labeling someone as “crazy,” as Chappelle describes earlier.

Greetings,  Following is the lesson plan that I created to teach to my Miss Silverleaf’s class.  I tried to make it as unbiased as possible, in order to promote a fair creation of opinion on the account of the students.  If you are interested in the details, let me know.

Should we have started the Iraq War?

A lesson plan created by Christopher Bauer, MSU College of Education Senior

Context:

This lesson plan was designed by an MSU student in the TE program which will be used at a local high school.  This is designed to fit into the “Current events” chapter of a Middle East geography unit.  Indeed, this lesson is designed to establish a baseline of knowledge in the student before encouraging a debate on whether or not the United States should have invaded Iraq in 2003.

Rationale:

The reasoning behind the US-led invasion has been debated since before the actual invasion on March 20, 2003.  For students in the classroom, who may become involuntarily involved in the conflict, understanding why this war is being fought and forming educated opinions regarding this war is of the utmost importance.  Indeed, the skills required to form an educated opinion is not a naturally occurring skill, but rather a learned process, honed by practice.  This can be considered the beginning of a larger unit to hone those skills.

Goals:

Develop educated opinions.

Develop understanding of the current world’s issues.

Develop persuasive writing skills.

Develop oral debating skills.

Develop critical reading skills.

Objectives:

Understand the issues regarding the beginning of the Iraq War.

Establish an educated opinion regarding the legitimacy of the Iraq War.

Develop skills of persuasion and debate regarding the Iraq War.

Analyze teacher-given essays to develop educated opinions.

Materials:

Worksheet outlining major events and asking students to define and make a time line (1 page)

Bastardized Wikipedia article regarding the Iraq War (7 pages, Wikipedia, 10-24-06)

Pro-Con article regarding U.S. entry into the Iraq War (www.usiraqprocon.org, 10-24-06)

Constructed response Worksheet (1 page)

Procedure:

1.                  For the day in question, ask students to develop a timeline of the events outlined in the worksheet, establishing a common set of knowledge.

2.                  On the day, make an “official” outline of the timeline, and discuss the different events on the timelines (10 minutes).

3.                  Pass out the two essays and ask the students to read the two essays, and outline the arguments of both sides (10 minutes).

4.                  Ask the students to write down their thoughts regarding the legitimacy of the Iraq War (5 minutes).

5.                  Ask a student to outline their thoughts.  Ask if there was another point of view.  If there isn’t supply the opposing argument.

6.                  Ask for reactions to these thoughts, and allow students to constructively argue amongst themselves, playing devil’s advocate when necessary (15-25 minutes).

7.                  Ask the students to write a paper for them, outlining their position and explaining why the students believe in their position (Until close of hour)

a.       Also could discuss proper debating procedure

b.      Could discuss proper writing procedures.

Assessments:

Ideally, there would be four assessment points.  The first would be the timeline and identification, grading based on completeness and accuracy.  The second would be participation during the discussion, based on observations and impressions of the teacher.  The third assessment point would be the paper, based on solidity of the argument, proper form.  The final assessment would take form of an essay question, relating to a similar, although hypothetical situation, asking for an extension and expansion of knowledge.

Standards and Benchmarks:

Depending on how the discussion heads, this lesson plan could fulfill the following high school benchmarks:

Historical Standard 3.3

Contemporary problems in the world.

Historical Standard 4.3

Analyze key decisions

Historical Standard 4.4

Evaluate pivotal decisions in the US, regarding core democratic values

Geographic Standard 1.1

Describe how major world issues and events affect various people

Geographic Standard 5.1

Explain how geography and major world processes influence major world events

Geographic Standard 5.2

Explain the causes and importance of global issues involving cultural stability and change

Civic Standard 5.1

Describe the influence of the American concept of democracy and individual rights

Civic Standard 5.2

Evaluate foreign policy positions in light of national interests and American values

Inquiry Standard 2.1

Report the results of their investigation including procedures followed and a rationale for their conclusions

Public Discourse Standard 1.1

Generate possible alternative resolutions to public issues and evaluate them

Public Discourse Standard 2.1

Engage each other in elaborated conversations that examine public policy issues

Public Discourse Standard 3.1

Compose elaborated essays expressing and justifying decisions on public policy issues

Greetings,

This week, I had a couple of interesting things happen to me which I think should be made a note of.  The first was watching something Miss Silverleaf did, and the other was an event between a student at Peacebloom School and I.

First, on Tuesday, Miss Silverleaf talked with her 2^nd hour class (9^th Grade Geography), about the situation with North Korea.  Although I disagreed with some of her terminology regarding Kim Il Jung, I understand why she stated it as she did.   What gave me more trouble, however, was her reluctance to have, or even attempt to have, the same sort of discussion with her 4^th hour (10^th Grade US History).  I asked her if she would, and she looked me straight in the eye and stated, “No, I am too much of a chicken.”  Essentially her reluctance (from my understanding resulting from the consequent conversation) stemmed from her already stretched nerves regarding that class.  Indeed, compared to other classes, her fourth hour is rowdy, but I would claim that I would have done so if I were in her shoes.  Although I cannot make the universal claim that I would have done so for every class regardless to its “obedience”, I would have done so.

Hmm, I guess I would have to say that each student should be educated, at least at part, in the current events, what is happening and why (as far as can be figured out at that point).

The other event was during Miss Silverleaf’s 2^nd hour today.  The class was starting research for, and working on, a project dealing with an issue of the Middle East, which meant we went to the library.  While there, I was wandering around, assisting the students or shepherding them back onto task.  At one point, I was talking to a student and a paper airplane landed in front of me.  Noting this was a breach in the rules, I picked up the airplane and looked at the student who was to be held accountable.  I found him not more than two feet away.  I picked it up and told him that this was not appropriate and it should be put away, then I gave it to him.  Although he was appreciative that I didn’t get him in trouble, was this the right thing to do in the circumstances.  I figured that it wasn’t that big of a distraction, I didn’t have much, if any, official power to punish the students, so a simple statement should do well in discouraging him, and it did.

Greetings,

I find myself in a most unusual circumstance.  Peacebloom School, where I am currently observing, was where my TE teacher, Brairthorn, taught for the past 4 years.  Miss Silverleaf and Brairthorn both know of each other, know that I am in relatively close contact with both of them, and their teaching styles could not be more different.

This, to me, poses a very unique opportunity and a distinct problem.  First, with two teachers of very different teaching philosophies, I can very directly compare the two, see which one I agree with more, and then adopt some sort of doctored version of their philosophy as my own.  I would be able to compare the strengths and weaknesses of each and use that to my own professional development.

However, these two people know each other, and worked together for several years.  I cannot help but be concerned about my own developing professionalism.  Is it acceptable to talk directly with one of them about the other’s teaching style?  For example, knowing that Miss Silverleaf worked with Brairthorn but wanting to talk about Brairthorn’s teaching style, I always attempted to refer to him as “My TE grad student,” hoping that this term would be useful in delaying this decision until later.  Unfortunately for me, I was relatively unconvincing in my tactic, and Miss Silverleaf soon asked me, “Is it Brairthorn?”  To this, I answered yes, and then we continued the conversation based on his real name.

I guess my big question is, “Can I, or should I, be direct about talking about another teacher’s teaching style, when they know one another?  What about when these teachers become my colleagues instead of elders?”