WRITE ON!

One of the things I really miss about teaching is having a spirited class discussion. Critical thinking was (and should still be) a big deal. By discussing issues, both sides (or more) were presented, and students would then explain in their writing which position they took and why. In theory, it sounds great. I usually refrained from stating what I believed until late into discussions and made sure to pantomime taking off an imaginary hat while saying, "This is me removing my 'teacher' hat and speaking from a personal perspective."

One textbook I used for a writing course was called Write On! The book presented issues of the day through quotes, poems, short stories, essays, and photographs and gave students both sides of an issue to which they responded.It has been a long time, but, if I remember correctly, among the topics were drug use, running away, war and peace, racism, money, love, and others issues of the times.

I remember one student who refused to do much of anything in class. When he failed himself for a quarter, his father called a meeting. The father said basically that he and his son objected to the book, that the son's life was already too complicated, and he didn't need to think about those things. He added the purpose of a teacher was to present the issue and tell the student what the right answer/opinion was. (Interestingly, the student's sister had previously taken the same course and did well with no such objections.)

Above all else, the concept of at least acknowledging, hearing and considering others' points of view was the whole point, which is the whole point here. We have too many "Don't bother me with facts. My mind is made up" mind sets.

I close with Walter Lippmann's quote: 'Where all think alike, no one thinks very much."

Think!