Push That Rock

Teaching is something that I really enjoy. Of course, there are those days when it seems like no one wants to talk or discuss, and I feel like Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. But the vast majority of the time, teaching is an extremely rewarding experience. I feel very grateful that I do not have to wake up in the morning and dread going to work. Yet, I often wonder how many of the students would be able to say the same thing. How many of my school's students wake up in the morning and look forward to coming to school? I would guess that the number is very small. Most students that I talk to seem to dread coming to school; even if they have one really good class, it tends to get drowned out by the other four or five boring, painful ones. Most students that I talk to view class as an obstacle - something that they just want to be done with as quickly as possible.

When I think about the best classes that I had in high school and college, I realized that those were the classes that I actually looked forward to going to. They were classes that I knew would be entertaining and enjoyable. They were educational as well, but educational in a fun way. It wasn't just a teacher giving us notes from a PowerPoint on anapestic monometer. Those classes (and teachers) were enjoyable; they had life and relevance and actually made me enjoy learning. I frequently wonder why more teachers don't strive to make their classes more enjoyable for the students. I mean, class can be both entertaining and educational -- those two don't have to be mutually exclusive. And an interesting class benefits the teacher as well, since having interested students always makes the teaching experience easier and more satisfying.

The outlook that most students have on attending school reminds me of the character Sisyphus from Greek mythology. Sisyphus has to struggle to push his rock up the mountain, only to see it roll back down. He must then return to his rock and start the process all over. This labor was given to Sisyphus specifically because it was boring, repetitive, and useless. Many of the students at my school essentially perceive each school day as having to push the rock up the mountain again, only to see the rock has roll back down and realize that their labor was futile. They see their school day as being a boring, repetitive, and useless process that teaches them virtually nothing important. They tend to see very little relevance or importance what they are learning. Each day they wake up and realize that they have to push that rock back up the mountain again and, like Sisyphus, are filled with dread.

On the whole, I think that it's critical for all teachers to strive to make their class one that students look forward coming to -- or at least don't dread. No high school student should have to feel like Sisyphus.