I'ma School You on Schoolin'

For over a week, a simple bit of slang has been bothering me.  See two guys in the park, preparing to play ball.  One says to the other, "Get ready.  I'm going to school you."

Language always means more than it says.  This is not an example of one man saying to another, "I'm going to teach you so that you can play ball better."  What this man is saying is, "I will humiliate you."

Are you starting to see?  School = Humiliate.  This is what happens in schools all around the country every day.  Students are humiliated.  Before you think you are reading the rant of some rebel stating that all teachers are sadists like the teacher in Pink Floyd's The Wall, let me state that this is not what I mean at all.  Since I have begun teaching, I have met few teachers who do not work hard every day to try to improve the lives of their students.

I'm talking about the system.  The grading system.  Give a student an A, whether that student deserved one or not, and the student is happy.  Some students rightfully expect A's every time.  They learn, master the lesson, and produce legitimate proof of that mastery.  Other students do not.  They may have learned it, and chosen not to produce proof of mastery.  They may have not completely learned the lesson.  They may not have learned the lesson at all.  So we give them an F.

To me, F does not say try again.  I have a feeling that F says try again to any student.  F says only one thing:  you failed.  Ask any student what F stands for.  They will tell you.

We need to get rid of F.  Of course, that may also mean getting rid of A.  And there goes all that money we give our children for getting A's.  As much as we all love our letter system of grading, I think it is time that it goes.  We should establish our expectations of a lesson, and there should be only three possible outcomes:  Mastery, Competency, and Try Again.  There will be students who will push themselves to achieve mastery, or students whose abilities and backgrounds lend themselves to more easily achieving mastery in some areas.  Wonderful.  Let's celebrate this, but discreetly.

All students should achieve Competency.  If we are unsure what competency looks like, then we shouldn't be teaching the subject.  We draw clear parameters and minimum expectations.  These may vary from student to student depending on ability level based on pre-assessment, but the parameters must be there.

And there will always be Try Again.  This is not shame.  This is not humiliation.  This is not schooling.  This is education.  Try Again does not mean for the student to try again without further instruction.  Try Again applies to the teacher as well.  If a student does not achieve competency, then this is just as much if not more the teacher's fault than the student's.  If the student does not care enough to Try the first or second time, this is a flaw in our education system.