For more information
Call 1-800-351-0222
Call 1-800-351-0222
INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION.
Term Paper ID:22665
Essay Subject:
Examines three books on inspirational methods & techniques, parent-student relationship, teaching skills, obstacles & challenges, flexibility.... More...
13 Pages / 2925 Words
3 sources, 33 Citations,
APA Format
$52.00
More Papers on This Topic
Paper Abstract:
Examines three books on inspirational methods & techniques, parent-student relationship, teaching skills, obstacles & challenges, flexibility.
Paper Introduction:
Surpassing the Status Quo:
Uncovering Challenges in the Classroom
In Horace's Compromise, Theodor Sizer presents a comparative study of high schools across America in the 1980s. In Tales Out of School, Patrick Welsh renders an insider's view of daily activities at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. In Among Schoolchildren, Tracy Kidder records his meticulous year-long observation of Chris Zajac's fifth-grade class at the Kelly School in Holyoke, Massachusetts. These three accounts offer inspirational yet balanced appraisals of how diverse selves can be seen struggling daily to excel as contemporary American schoolteachers. Read collectively, these works offer a how-to manual for superior teaching, suggesting which educational
Text of the Paper:
The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper.
Welsh'sdecision to include this high-spirited exchange reveals both multipledimensions of his classroom persona and the realist voice which he bringsto this project. Horace's compromise: The dilemma of theAmerican high school. She fears that she is neglecting some students because otherstudents, such as the troubled Clarence and Robert, are inappropriate anddisruptive in their behavior. Welshobserves that Butler's words are "warmer but still cautionary", ending withthis rejoinder: "and watch out for those sexist remarks" (p. Sizer intentionally focuses onHorace's reflection of the ambiguity and rampant mediocrity embedded in theAmerican high school educational system. Sizer (1985)contends that high school diplomas should be granted for the achievement ofa "set" mastery, not a mere satisfaction of attendance demands (p. One of the bonuses of juxtaposing Sizer's, Welsh's, and Kidder's studiesof the teaching profession is that each work illuminates most precisely atthose junctures where it depicts teachers obviously struggling to overcometheir anger, prejudice, sloth, and despair. 117). Yet Patrick Welsh has proved to be anything but a pushover in hismore than 13 years of classroom teaching. Zajac's test of greatness is not to let herself be ruledentiredly by emotion. (1985). 283). This charismatic presence in front of aclass is evidenced throughout Welsh's Tales Out of School, cleverly andtellingly subtitled A Teacher's Candid Account from the Front Lines of theAmerican High School Today. In tandem, Kidder emphasizes how gleefully Zajac embraces her sparsevacation days. The problem which needs to be overcome is what the famedscientist Alfred North Whitehead has named as the "disconnection" betweenlife and the curriculum (Sizer, 1985, p. Welsh's meditations suggest thatthe best of teachers represent a continuum, operating as if one greateducational chain-of-being. Unsuccessful in his attempts to build an electrical light, Robert hides inthe classroom, unwilling to exhibit the disastrous results of his projectto the gymnasium's glare. He had tried, and he hadsincerely failed" (Kidder, 1989, p. 1 4). Yet he is caught within a system whichdoes not offer him conditions where he can teach most effectively.Consequently, he is forced to make a "compromise" (Sizer, 1985, p. Having entered Vassar, Butler now sendsWelsh additional women writers to read and consider teaching. One afternoon Welsh is handed anote by one of his senior English students, Ellen Butler. Sizer lauds Michael'sSocratic style as one which encourages students to ask original questions,"to see new sides to otherwise ordinary things", and to grow comfortablewith the silence inevitably falling when true acts of analysis occur.Impressed by Michael's students' level of sophistication, their eloquencein probing how Graham Greene manipulates multiple levels of meaning for "asense of kindness" (Sizer, 1985, p. The constructionof vivid moments of exchange, locating a space where students and teacherscan form a bridge of communication is vital to Welsh's success. Similarly, Welsh's world view is broadened by struggling to overcomeone of his socially conditioned limitations. She wishes to determine whethersomeone like Alejandro, one of her former Holyoke students, would have beentreated fairly as a "returning Puerto Rican child" (Kidder, 1989, p. Repeatedly, students find greater satisfaction and reward outside theclassroom in the responsibilities associated with their after-school, part-time jobs (Welsh, 1987, p. Weaker teachers fall into the lull ofthis somnambulistic step, perhaps, all too easily. Thesystem as currently constructed will not allow it. Good teachers set their sights on excellence, struggling vociferouslyagainst that stultifying level of sameness and striving to push studentspast their own all-too-often low level of expectation. Sizer, Theodor R. 68).Working over 6 hours per week, Horace is only able to allot 5 minutes perstudent's piece of writing samples submitted to him. Sometimes learning involves itsmoments of pain and faltering, and Zajac was reminded of its harsherreality in that moment. Tales Out of School. 112). 8 ). . . As all teachers, she labors to set realistic goalsand acceptable limits of conduct for her students. Sizer, Welsh, and Kidder offer the reader an insider's view of theAmerican education system. New York:Penguin Books.----------------------- 3 166), teachers must be flexible,approaching students with respect and an accurate assessment of what theycan actually achieve, recognizing that understanding itself is more to be"stimulated than learned" (p. She scribblesher lament that she is bored since Welsh seemed to be so one-sided in hispresentations as to offer only "a few poems by women. If, as Robert Frost observed, "education is . 111). Yet students can be challengedeffectively within the classroom and may be willing to work to theirmaximum level of achievement if the results are tangibly presented to them. Miller ruminates that man's greatest need, "a need greaterthan hunger or sex or thirst", is "to leave a thumbprint somewhere on theworld" (Miller, quoted in Welsh, 1987, p. Horace's dedication encouraged him to adapt himself to agrading structure of only 5 minutes per student paper. School should never beregarded as anything which resembles a prison, nor should teachers be askedto function as if guards. Coaching students, prompting them to be tough questioners,offering them respect, and assisting in the development of their self-esteem repeatedly produces the best results. Yet,since "no two learners learn alike" (p. Sizer, Welsh, and Kidderdramatize selective schoolteachers as participants within the continuingAmerican quest to ameliorate society and to surpass the status quo, despitethe occasional faltering step. Skinner'sbehaviorist mantra that "learning is behaving" (p. Kidder observes that Mrs. Zajac's"physicality" itself is altered when she enters her classroom with herconfidence seeming unlimited. 86). 134). Welsh, Patrick. . These are the very qualities which make this book soreadable, and Welsh himself so likable as an instructor. 52), in Among SchoolchildrenKidder (1989) emphasizes the pivotal but almost unnameable quality of thevitality of a teacher's caring, and Welsh insists that good teachingconsists of "knowledgeability, energy, clarity, empathy" (p. Arthur Miller'sreflection collected late in an introduction to the Death of a Salesmanexpresses Welsh's own sentiments about why he chose teaching as aprofession. Now he had. It tends to involve maneuvers based seemingly on an implicit perception of the total problem. Innovative teaching methods challenge students to do more and to doit differently. 145) in his short story, "TheDestructors", Sizer does concede that this interactive style is privileged. Sizer nearly ironicallysuggests that the mediocrity in the system is tied to the sloth of"Horace's compromise", a "laziness" which he depicts with both compassionand irony. In Horace's Compromise, Theodor Sizer (1985) describes the need tore-evaluate the high school experience as if a student who has beenlicensed to carry a "learner's permit" (p. . Even more commendable isZajac's self-conscious battle against her own parochial Holyoke hometownprejudices. By almost constantly acting out, troubledstudents such as Clarence and Robert will pull attention away from otherless demanding students. He reminisces about his first classroomlecturing experience (approximately 15 , classes earlier!), recalling ayoung woman's snickering comment, "This guy will be a pushover" (Welsh,1987, p. Unfortunately, the formulation of school learning has somewhat devalued intuition (Bruner, quoted in Sizer, 1985, p. 125). Sufficient timefor meditation, for a regathering of one's thoughts is not encouraged(Sizer, 1985, p. 8 ). The needs of the overarching systemare balanced daily against the emerging needs of their diverse studentpopulations. Zajac aims to overcome her ownprejudices toward the Puerto Rican culture by availing herself of the KellySchool's Easter trip to the "Isla del Encanto." Travelling with herhusband and son over spring break, she is struck by the island's incrediblebeauty and the warmth of its islanders. She consciously strives to deepen her understanding of herstudents' Puerto Rican heritage, wishing to uncover how this inheritancemolds their responses to American culture, especially within her Holyokeclassroom. Notaccidentally, these moments occur with their greatest intensity when hewillingly stretches himself a bit further. Highschool needs to be more than "just a building to come to be with myfriends" (Welsh, 1987, p. But it wasn't for lack of trying. As Sizer (1985)observes in Horace's Compromise, "A good teacher is self-confident.Teaching is being on show" (p. He stresses the vitality of their presence and power when hestates: In contrast to analytic thinking, intuitive thinking does not advance in careful, well-defined steps. Kidder (1989) eloquently ends his narrative; it frames the conclusionof Zajac's schoolyear, but it also summarizes the attitudes of teacherseverywhere: She belonged among schoolchildren. 8 ). 18). Welsh (1987) recalls an old saying of teachers: "Toget students interested, you have to go in their door, but take them outyours" (p. Horace is depicted as acharismatic and effective teacher. Welsh was propelled into the classroom by hisgrandfather's quirky dedication to poetry, seeking to discover why he wasso delighted in its quirkish sounds. 157). 331). They made her feel useful. References Kidder, Tracy. Sizer, Kidder, and Welsh present teachers seeking to surpass thestatus quo sometimes too deeply entrenched in American classrooms.Kidder's remarkable narrative illuminates how Zajac's empathy is her ownoutstanding gift. Undue agitation and productiveenthusiasm may be separated by only a split second. 133). Even with thisminimalist approach, Sizer had acknowledged that Horace's workload stillclocks in at more than 6 hours per week. 1 ). In Among Schoolchildren, Tracy Kidderrecords his meticulous year-long observation of Chris Zajac's fifth-gradeclass at the Kelly School in Holyoke, Massachusetts. 82). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Additionally, he was inspired by hisfather, who as a doctor committed himself passionately to the idea ofanchoring himself within a community and serving it. Teachers across the country preside over a remarkably similar"ritualistic" experience. Again this year, some had needed more help than she could provide. Surpassing the Status Quo: Uncovering Challenges in the Classroom In Horace's Compromise, Theodor Sizer presents a comparative study ofhigh schools across America in the 198 s. Zajac's concern for Alejandro represents one ofZajac's pivotal poses, a worried concern for the ailing, troubled student.Zajac, like many of the teachers depicted by Sizer, Welsh, and Kidder,cannot leave her students in the classroom but labors to understand howfamilial and societal influences have shaped them. 181). 114). These three books probe how"reflection and repose" are qualities which educational systems should seekto foster, not banish (Sizer, 1984, p. 1 5). A teacher's candidaccount from the front lines of the American high school today. Great teaching demands that a synergy develop between the teacher andthe student. His strong senseof humor reminds him that sometimes the students are calling the shots andforcing him into an even greater maturity. 134). Such exchanges are most likely to occur within small group dynamics whereattentive students are willing to be pushed. Zajac becomescrestfallen when she realizes that she has too fiercely chastised thecharacteristically truant student Robert for his imperfect science project. Jerome Bruner, a phenomenal writer of educational tracts, contendsthat the American curriculum sometimes neglects the fostering of intuitiveskills. 23). 184).Together these authors illuminate how the teacher works most effectivelywhen student minds are encouraged to expand, to push past conformity andprejudice, and to explore their own potential. Yet the best of teachers willhang on until these random but important breakthroughs do happen. These three accountsoffer inspirational yet balanced appraisals of how diverse selves can beseen struggling daily to excel as contemporary American schoolteachers.Read collectively, these works offer a how-to manual for superior teaching,suggesting which educational strategies are the most successful and whichmistakes the most common. Teaching juniors and seniors who cannotread had become just too demoralizing for him. In America's moving away from the one schoolroom style of teaching toa modular format, what is lost is "knowledge of the student as a wholeperson" (Sizer, 1985, p. Teaching can be considered a form oftheater which is centered on the bargain of a student's discovering how tolearn. Imperative within good teaching is the ability to foster and tomaintain a self-critical stance and willingness to grow. Sizer's descriptionof this "compromise" by Horace attempts to uncover the shortcut (indicatingthat this is a model used by well-intentioned teachers nationwide), notwith malice, but within the context of a humbling realism. His wisdomis that he is willing to admit that an erosive lack of caring sometimesbegins with the teachers themselves. Good teaching operatesas a catalyst, maximizing time, opportunity, and curiousity, in order toproduce a space where "reflection and repose" reign (Sizer, 1985, p. 18). Since there is "little joy in accurateregurgitation", students need to be encouraged to find their own "level ofpotential accomplishment" (Sizer, 1985, p. All three authors write with a passion which seeks toovercome the all-too-common monotony found in the American educationalsystem. Welsh's challenge is toestablish appropriate levels of engagement for his students, prodding theminto a space where their talents can be most fully used. Sizer (1985) underscores the importance of B.F. Among schoolchildren. Scouting him out, and empathetically envelopedin his pain when she eyes Robert sitting beside his broken filament, shechastises herself as "stupid", forgetful that Robert must operate within afatherless world, realizing that "all year long she had tried to get Robertto take a chance and make an effort. She had run out of time (p. (1989). TalesOut of School began in the fall of 1983 as a series of essays commissionedby Dan Morgan, then-editor of the Washington Post's Sunday "Overlook"section. (1987). Williams HighSchool in Alexandria, Virginia. Students will accept criticism when they can see the results (Sizer, 1985,p. 14). Now every year he teaches MaxineKumin and Adrienne Rich's poetry, enjoying an almost stellar response whenhe teaches Rich's essay, "Trying to Talk to a Man" (p. Welsh is honest enough to suggest that,even for teachers, morale can sometimes be low, often stemming from what aRand study determined to be too much "bureaucratic intervention", "lack ofautonomy", "lack of administrative support", besides low salaries (p. He worksconscientiously but forgoes the possibility of revolutionary impact. Welsh's openness isrewarded, and his curriculum broadens. By detailing the rewards, frustrations, andcontradictions as experienced by teachers, they provide a commentary on howthe conformity imposed by the educational codes themselves must sometimesbe challenged. He expiates his own so-calledchauvinist tendencies by bending to one of his superior female student'schallenge to teach more women writers. hanging arounduntil you've caught on" (Sizer, 1985, p. Sizer argues for a bitmore personal tailoring by adapting to a student body's distinctive andeven regional needs. She hadn't given up. One of her major motivations forthis trip is her own detective's quest. 63).One of Kidder's motifs in Among Schoolchildren is Zajac's inner monologueof fretting. 254).This extension of herself, expressed in an abiding concern for herstudents' total welfare, serves as her trademark, allowing Kidder toepitomize Zajac as one of America's invaluable but undervalued resources.Outside of the closed-in perimeters of her own beloved Holyoke,Massachusetts, a city which she has been unsuccessful in ever leaving formore than a brief respite, Zajac extends her own multicultural perspectivewhile visiting Puerto Rico, the birthplace of many of her fifth- gradeKelly School students. Welsh admits that he himself leveraged his administrative pull to be givenmostly advanced English sections. She wanted to experience firsthand the country where so manyof her minority students' lives had begun. Although Sizer indicates thatthis inward-directed gaze traces itself back to America's Puritanical rootswhich have flowered into the cultivation of both a rigid self-disciplineand a strong inner balance, his observation does underscore America's on-going push toward self-improvement (p. Sizer's comparative study ofAmerican high schools cautions against the dangers of apathy. Sizer's fair, yet nearly strident appraisal of Horace handles thisproblem of meeting one's limitations and overcoming them more cautiouslythan either Welsh's or Kidder's portraits. In Horace's Compromise,Sizer (1985) summarizes the essential goals of teaching: to teach studentsthe basics of "literacy, numercy, and civic understanding" (p. Zajac in Among Schoolchildren, Patrick Welsh's self-depiction inTales Out of School, and Horace and his associates as presented by Sizer inHorace's Compromise serve gracefully to illustrate how the dedicated andmost successful classroom teachers are both group-oriented and innovativein striving to achieve their goals. Nevertheless, Zajac's dedication even pushed her toparticipate in the Kelly School's Easter get-away, a chartered flight toPuerto Rico. Welsh's self-portrayal remains characteristically wry as when he comments upon one ofButler's post-graduation letters. In Among Schoolchildren, Kidder commentsupon how the modular format provides for continuity amid a disruptiveenvironment where many teachers perish quickly within a chaotic system.Students sometimes experience alienation within an environment where theirtalents and personalities are systematically splintered. Sizer (1985) comments in the beginning of Horace'sCompromise, painfully subtitled The dilemma of the American high school,that the American high school functions as a kind of "secular church", "aplace of national rituals that mark stages of a young citizen's life" (p.63). There were many problems that she hadn't solved. Perhaps, this is why Welsh's work is designed to yield acomprehensive guide, offering an overview of the classroom, the teacher'sperspective, administrative policy, as well as American societalexpectations and disappointment about its public school system. Paradoxically, the best and worst of teaching skills are integrallyrelated to the gifts and flaws embedded in any given teacher's personality. New York: AvonBooks. The schoolroom must serve as more than a place for the status quo, asmore than an incubator, a holding pattern, or a place for insomniacs toshuffle ahead. 82). 151), the best teachers offerdynamic, demanding, and versatile approaches. Sizer comments almost in amazement that, by theend of his year's research, he had developed an uncanny ability to predictwhat almost any given history class would be studying, determined by thespecific week in the calendar year. In Tales Out of School, PatrickWelsh renders an insider's view of daily activities at T.C. Zajac worries: Claude might fail an upcomingcompetency test since she did not prod his studies sufficiently;Judith, one of her best students, may not have been challenged enough; orJudith's close friend, Arabella, may not have been drawn out enough,reassured of her own burgeoning talent. We're constantlygetting the male view" (Welsh, 1987, p. . Dialogue is strikingly absent, and students remainunchallenged (Sizer, 1985, p. This essay will explore the contributions of ateacher's personality, humor, dedication, passion, and ability tocompromise within the classroom, comparing and contrasting the styles ofsuch teachers as Sizer's Horace and Sister Michael, Kidder's Chris Zajac,and Patrick Welsh's autobiographical account.
If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again:
or
We can write a Custom Essay just for you.
Browse Essays by Subject