I’m totally over whizz-bang fancy lessons. You know, the sort that elicit the best reviews, where students beam and elatedly stage-whisper “we never had classes like that at school”. I used to feel like a failure if I didn’t get that sort of response at least once a week. But those lessons are less about the student and more about the teacher. They are Sally Field clutching her Oscar and squeaking, “You like me.”
The time it takes to create, plan and resource those lessons makes them unsustainable. But, more importantly, the whizz-bang fancy lessons don’t always equate to learning. As lovely as it is that my students have a marvellous time, it’s lovelier still that they leave the classroom closer to functional literacy. We need to not waste time on crowd-pleasing fluff.
I teach entry-level English. I don’t have long to make a dent where 11 years of schooling has not. That isn’t a criticism of schoolteachers - many factors will explain why some 16-year-olds are working at their current level but, sadly, one of them is about labels.
A child’s role at school can be set at the age of 11, sometimes younger. The gobby one; the bother causer; the swot. Once these roles are cast by teachers, peer groups, siblings or parents, it can be tough to alter the perception of who and what that child is, not least from the perspective of the child. Spending years in the same role doesn’t half drag on.
‘College is a new start for many’
The reason why, in FE, we can make a difference in a comparatively short time is that college is a new start for many. Old perceptions of status and reputation can be cast off.
It might take a while for the straight-outta-schoolers to realise that they are allowed to reinvent themselves, so they need a period of transition, the stability of well-structured sessions, firm boundaries of behavioural expectation and relentless support. It doesn’t matter if the session is like school. The pedagogical approach isn’t the issue - the relationship is.
It’s taken a while to not feel guilty when my lessons are a bit structured, a bit intense, a bit boring
I’ve usually got some sort of course on the go. My favourite teachers are the stern ones, who I can’t see myself having a “big night out” with. The ones who demand more than I think I am capable of and don’t indulge any of my moaning or mucking about. As a student, I like leaving classes at the point where I can hardly string a sentence together because I’ve worked so hard. I want my own students to feel the same.
It’s taken a while to not feel guilty when my lessons are a bit structured, a bit intense, a bit boring. I used to think the way to develop trusting, mutually respectful relationships was to make students like me by putting on showstopping sessions. It isn’t. My responsibility is to enable them to thrive, not to be their pal.
Sarah Simons works in FE colleges in the East Midlands. She tweets as @MrsSarahSimons
