Let the Students' Voices Be Heard!

Isn't it interesting to hear students' views outside of the classroom?

I recently had a conversation with a student that was rather thought-provoking and somewhat disturbing.

I have always seen this particular student around school but have never had the opportunity of teaching in my courses.  Further, the student was always in and out of school because of behavioral issues. None-the-less I was impressed of how well informed and passionate the expressed views were about what was happening in the school.

The student was able to accurately describe the school environment and culture as well as the existing dynamics which was excruciatingly blunt. I could not help but think to myself Wow! How many other students are there in the school with similar views? Have we failed in engaging them appropriately in the teaching learning process? How can we effectively utilize the views of these students in school improvement?

Usually in any school improvement initiative the students' voices are often left out in this process yet it is often about them! Have we been getting this wrong? We have always thought that we know what's best for students often imposing rules, best practices, new curricula, and social services that we think will benefit them based on the research. Though these are all good........should we rethink based on the evolution of our student population of today? Are we truly addressing their needs?

The student disclosed during our conversation the need to pass required examinations which meant that there is an issue of being under-credited. Additionally, the hope that teachers can look beyond faults and provide what is truly desired ......... an education was aggressively demanded. If we are to successfully close the achievement gap we need to seriously listen to our students.

There are many articulate and brilliant students who are caught in this dilemma. How can we help them?

Have an Extraordinary Week!

Petreno