The Art of Negotiation

I enjoyed class on Wednesday, as I thought we did a good job of not only continuing our discussion of curriculum and the creation of rich learning experiences for students (resources, standards, big ideas), but also got a chance to talk about some of the procedural and relational aspects that are such a big part of teaching.

We started class by thinking about what to do with students who don’t have a writing utensil. It’s a small example, but helpful. What I hoped you gained from that discussion is the importance of not just solving the everyday problems that are constantly coming at us as a teachers, but also of stepping back and looking at the larger puzzle of human behavior: Why is this student acting this way? What is she trying to communicate to me? What is the proper response?

I hope you saw that the meaning of “not having a pencil” can vary quite dramatically depending upon the student and the situation. Therefore our response would need to vary as well.

At the end of class, we considered the student who wrote to Ben that “you think you know a lot about teaching, but you don’t.” I suggested this student was trying to get under Ben’s skin by communicating something to him that was intentionally hurtful. I suggested that this comment was less about Ben and more about the student. If we let our egos get in the way of dealing with such a situation—our own need to feel liked and important—we are probably not going to do the situation justice.

Ultimately, I suggested we have to be comfortable being ourselves before our students. But, upon reflection, that is only part of the truth.

For we have to be comfortable letting our students be themselves too. And those selves may not make us very comfortable at times.

All teaching is ultimately a negotiation, a co-creation between teachers and students. Learning to teach is learning to make space for that co-creation.

Have a good weekend!