Like most mornings, I left the school feeling warm and peaceful, effects I attribute to an environment where children are honored, beauty is celebrated, and imagination is encouraged. However, as I made my drive home, any hint of tranquility was abruptly disrupted by a woman aggressively waving her arms and angrily yelling at me to "slow down!" I quickly glanced at my speedometer and saw I was not speeding. Standing on the sidewalk in front of the neighborhood public elementary school--which is just down the street from Aurora--she was apparently supervising children as they crossed the street.
It struck me as the antithesis of what I’d just experienced in my children's school. And I wonder what it was like for these children to witness a yelling adult just as they arrived at school for a new day. What was the spectacle teaching them about dealing with stress or a perceived violation? Was her behavior somehow justifiable or even normal in a school culture driven by rules and reward-punishment mentality? And in what ways might her anger be indicative of effects from a dehumanizing system that reduces children to "human capital" and ties their worth to scores on standardized tests?
Did anyone else hear the scream at school today?
these are great posts! i am really troubled about what to do with sahid's schooling...behavior modification starts so young, even in the very nice daycare that s. is at now.
ReplyDeleteit's also a good reminder to keep my own stress in check.
I really enjoyed this posting, Tim. My thoughts are in alignment with ya here. Recently, I've heard a lot of yelling down our hallway... from students and adults alike. I couldn't help but think about how this is contributing to the chaos and problems that have been occurring... Thanks for sharing!
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