Today I spent what seemed an inordinate amount of time to set up students for learning. When everyone was settled in their best (Covid-safe) learning spot, I introduced my mapping lesson. I followed the tried and true gradual release of responsibility, and had just released them to the independent phase of doing a task on their own. There was a low buzz of discussion as I made my way around the room to check on understanding. One student approached me hesitantly. Her eyes were downcast. She asked me, “Mme – can I ask you a question?”
I worried briefly. Had I used a tone that discouraged questions? Had I released them too soon to work on their own? I replied gently and reassuringly – “Yes, what would you like to ask me?”
“Mme – is it true that if you don’t go to college, you will have to flip burgers?”
There it was. The question. The teachable moment. What would I do with this opportunity?
You don’t plan these moments. They are not scripted. These are the moments – if you take them – that let you dive deep into the most philosophical questions. I don’t want to just answer a question like this, I want to support my students to think deeply and develop their own understandings about complex concepts.
So – in the moment- what concepts did I identify as most significant and meaningful to explore?
*I was troubled by the value attached (or lack of value) to the job of “flipping burgers”
*I was troubled by the idea that college was seen as necessary to avoid a particular job vs to attain a specific goal.
Even more deeply troubling was the idea that a job would be an indication of success or achievement (in and of itself).
Yes ……my mind went to all these places rather quickly. You see, I’ve lived it. I had many jobs on my way to becoming a teacher. I’ve been a life partner of someone who made career decisions based on one paradigm of success only to discover the model was all wrong. I was that parent who told their young child “I don’t care what you do to earn money as long as you are a good person and you are happy.” I think I failed to deliver the message convincingly. If the unexamined life is not worth living, mine has great value because I have examined it and reflected on it at length. If I could help, in some way, to begin to present a counter-narrative to the view that success is a college (or university) education with a big paycheque – then I would feel I had given a gift to my young students. How on earth could it be possible that a six year old had encountered this dichotomy so soon in her life?
So I set out by interrupting the work on mapping. I asked them to put down their pencils so we could all think about the question put forth by their peer. I stated very strongly that the question offered a chance to learn something even more important than mapping. I want all my students to know that some lessons about life are vital, and deserve attention, time and thought.
The student repeated the question — “Is it true that if you don’t go to college you have to flip burgers?”
Employing the Socratic method to help them remember that diversity is a gift, I asked:
Do we all like the same things? Are we all good at the same things/do we all have the same talents and gifts? This is not the first time for our community to consider these ideas.
Next, I asked them to imagine a person who worked in a restaurant. Imagine that this person loves to cook. This person has worked hard to learn to make the best burgers, and they are proud of their burgers. People come from all around to eat at the restaurant, and they love to eat those burgers. It makes them feel good when they eat those burgers. The hamburger cook is happy doing what they love, and they always do their best. Now, ask yourself this (I instructed my students) – do you think that the hamburger cook is a successful person? Consensus was that yes, this would be success.
Still, I had an additional concern. From experience as a parent, I know how much pressure there is for a young person to choose a career path. I don’t think this pressure is healthy, or necessary. We all know that in today’s world our students (or our children/ or us) may have many careers in a lifetime. Why not introduce this idea now? I asked them:
What if the hamburger cook stopped liking his job? What if they thought they wanted to try something new? Do they have to do one job their whole life? I could see them shaking their heads in response. I shared my own experience –
“Before I was a teacher I had many jobs. I used to make pizzas, and I worked hard at it and I was proud of making pizzas. But then, I didn’t enjoy it any more. So I went back to school and worked very hard to become a teacher. Now I love being a teacher, and I always do my best. Do you think that is being successful?”
After laying the groundwork in their thinking, I thought I was ready to introduce the part of the original question that troubled me the most. I wanted them to consider if it made sense to them that one of these had greater value. Is the person who makes hamburgers and does their best, and is happy with their work – is that person less successful than me (a teacher who works hard and is happy with their work)? When cast in that light – success being a measure of happiness found in the activity of the work combined with the satisfaction of working hard and doing your best – were not both individuals equally successful?
So I accept that my introduction of a counter narrative on success will not be the end of their thinking on this subject. I hope it is just the beginning. More than anything, I hope that all my students will define success for themselves, and achieve it. I hope that our two class commitments will remain a strong influence in their lives:
Je suis gentil(le).
Je fais de mon mieux.
learningwithMmeOsborne 