What matters about school are not facts, worksheets, and tests. We make students memorize levels of government, provincial capitals, names of aboriginal groups. Why? Do we really care whether they know the names of the last eight prime ministers or the atomic weight of aluminum? I know I don’t. When kids finish their grade, will they remember or care whether they got to chapter 18 or 20 of their spelling textbook? Will it make any difference in their lives? I spent 10 years teaching grades sevens the names of the Egyptian gods. If I met them today would they remember even one? Probably not.
What do students remember? They remember the time someone wrote a swear word on someone else’s textbook and I kept them in until the offender confessed. They remember the time I threw a basketball in class and it hit someone’s lunch and sent it flying across the room. They remember the time I helped them create an interpretive dance that they performed in front of the entire parish. They remember the class barbecues and the bullying talks. They remember how I helped them when they were in trouble, or got them in trouble, or helped them prepare for a good confession. Those who remember me at all remember me because I cared about them. The most valuable lessons they learned from me didn’t come from a textbook.
I’m not saying content doesn’t matter. It does in two ways. Firstly, there is a certain amount of content you must have to be a fully functioning adult in the world. I would include in here good reading and math skills, a fundamental knowledge of the world and how it works both scientifically and socially. Secondly, and more importantly, content is important as a vehicle to appreciate how to think and learn. We don’t teach kids the names of the mountain ranges in western Canada because they need to know them, we teach them because we hope it sparks an interest in geography. I never made students memorize a poem because I needed them to know the poem, I needed them to appreciate poetry and the power of words. Content is important, but it is meaning that matters.
So teachers shouldn’t stress out about finishing textbooks or covering content. Part of being a great teacher is learning to prioritize content into “need to know”, “good to know”, and “nice to know” categories. What kids will really remember is the teacher’s passion for learning and for the students themselves. They will remember the moments in between the lessons more than the lessons themselves. How a teacher treats the kids, their joy for living and teaching, and their love for Jesus are what are going to make the biggest difference.
So if you are a teacher reading this and you are stressing out over “how I am going to cover all this content”, take a deep breath and relax. The content will always be there. Those students won’t always be there. Do something memorable while you have them!
catholicprincipal 