"In My Opinion . . ."
July 6, 1999
Teachers don't always practice what they preach. Put a group
of them together in a classroom as learners and some of them
behave just like their kids. Often the teachers who are most
likely to be intolerant of student assertiveness are themselves
obstreporous as an adult learner.
I recently helped lead a week long class on project-based learning and technology. My school district is PAYING teachers to take this course, basically a chance to relax, experiment with various computer programs, and work through a six step process approach to projects with colleagues. Attendance is voluntary (though everyone will eventually need to take the class). Classes will occur throughout the summer, and I imagine that all the facilitators will experience the same thing my team did: incredibly immature, unprofessional behavior from a few participants.
It's amazing to see one adult throw a temper tantrum because she couldn't be in the same group as her best friend (she refused to cooperate and simply stormed over to her "chosen" group). Another woman was under the misguided impression that everyone thought she was witty. Her obnoxious, raucous behavior grew stale quickly. Fortunately, she and the whiner teamed up with the other woman who had no interest in even attempting to do the required work. She had come for the money (an honest reason), but was in a snit because she wasn't going to be able to double-dip and work on other paid business while in class. Somehow I doubt that these recalcitrant women would ever put up with such behavior from their own students, but since we couldn't give them an "F" or kick them out of class, we had to ignore them.
It actually wasn't too bad, since the rest of the class ignored them, too, and worked through their own doubts and frustrations in more normal, acceptable ways. The majority of the teachers picked up many new computer skills, learned the value of the six step process, and ended up having fun creating a challenging project. The one resistant group floundered (not bothering to follow instructions, they lacked organization), wasted time on simple tasks, and in the end produced a lackluster, unimaginative presentation. They learned nothing and it showed.
The sad thing is that two other women were roped into that group, and throughout the week they regretted their decision to work with those three. They both felt frustrated and disappointed after wasting such a golden opportunity to learn something new while getting paid and having fun. We weren't surprised since we've seen the same thing happen every year in our own classrooms with kids. We just didn't expect adults to be so childish.