San Diego OpEd

A High School Student's View of Her Classroom

Respect and put faith in the younger generations
By Kristen Colly
Posted on May 02 2008
Last updated May 02 2008

As I cannot see into the future, I cannot say I know what is going to happen to the universe. However, if the state of my own Humanities classroom is a good representation of the state of the world (if the world is as uncaring, uncouth, uncivilized, and unrefined as my classroom), I am confident in proclaiming that this planet is going nowhere fast.

I have recently participated in a one-sided debate with my Humanities teacher who, after shouting to the heavens that global warming was an absolute truth and that there was to be no arguing against it, began to lecture the class for an entire period. His diatribe ended with him informing us that the reason we didn't absolutely agree with him was because we were in bed with the oil companies and were in total denial. Now maybe it's just me, but I've always thought that oil came in barrels, not beds. I guess I'm naïve… Anyway, that is all beside the point.

His hour long rambling got me thinking: What has happened to the education system? Do teachers have any respect for their students anymore? Why do I constantly interact with teachers who treat their students like they are aphonic? Sadly, I cannot provide a definitive answer to any of those questions, just as I cannot provide information about the fate of our universe. Just as the "world" does not have a voice, neither do the students in my Humanities class.

It seems to me that a lot of teachers treat their students like a fowl, uneducated disease. How, then, can they be upset when the class is phlegmatic when they try to start a discussion? How is the younger generation supposed to grow into their skin when people who have no respect for their individual opinions oppress them? There are indeed problems in this world, but instead of shoving them down our throats and calling them absolute, why don't teachers let us learn for ourselves, or at least form our own opinions through experience and research?

Which brings me to my next question: Why do teachers seem so jaded these days? Do they think that my generation can't think for ourselves? It is a teacher's job to encourage students to form their own opinions. It is also a teacher's job to make sure students feel comfortable and respected during class discussions. So why, then, are some teachers shoving their ideas down the throats of their students and showing a complete lack of respect for anyone and anything that disagrees with them? Why do some teachers spend their time instructing their students to show both sides of every argument and then completely disregard their own advice when they reach a topic they're passionate about?

This world will most certainly come to an end. In my opinion, our inability to respect and put faith in the younger generations will kill us all long before global warming even has a chance to.

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Comments

Posted by Milt Burgess	May 2, 2008
Ms. Colly has it right. The object of a college education is to learn to think. One method is to examine both sides of an issue. The outline of a lesson plan includes LEARNING points, not TEACHING points. I have a hunch that the Humanities instructor somehow missed the lecture on the learning v. teaching differences and the purpose of a college education. Sad.

Posted by Linda Nelson	May 2, 2008
Ms. Colley is obviously a "thinker" and exactly what our future world is going to need. Education is a life long process and by the time students are in high school "levels of learning" are essential for college. Ms. Colley is on the right track! Their is hope.

Posted by Tammy Yorysh	May 4, 2008
I am old enough to remember a time in school when teachers discussed a controversial subject in an even-handed way. This may even surprise some, since I was educated in Catholic schools. But my teachers would bring both sides to the lecture, and encourage debate. At the time, our hot topics included abortion, nuclear power and the oil "shortage." My teachers would also interject their own opinion, but they would tell us it was their personal biased opinion. When I got to college, I noticed things were different. You had to mirror your instructors' opinions or risk a low grade. A college kid needed to learn to placate their professors. Lesson Number #1: Just tell 'em what they want to hear, and they'll think you're a model student. Sounds like this sad state of affairs has reached the high school level.

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