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Why is this so surprising? Wasn't every teacher a high school student at some point? Is the experience so traumatic that they completely forget what the sched

by derekp7 12y ago

Why is this so surprising? Wasn't every teacher a high school student at some point? Is the experience so traumatic that they completely forget what the schedule was like once they become teachers themselves?

inclemnet 12y ago
You don't need trauma to just forget things. You've experienced many hours of continuous stimulation every day for years, and most of that is naturally thrown away, including the mental impact of experiences that seem at the time like they will always stay with you. Plus, it seems reasonable that doing the same tasks from the point of view of actually being the teacher, now having a lot more life experience and other things to think about, should make previously normal parts of the experience stand out. If you think this should be unnecessary, and 'obvious' just from thinking back to your own school days, I think you are either highly abnormal or simply wrong.
- derekp7 12y ago
  ::I think you are either highly abnormal or simply wrong. Is it really that abnormal to remember the stresses of a bad situation, especially when you transitioned to a better one? I can see people not thinking anything is wrong while they are going through the experience, but I really can't find anyone that I know, at least, who thinks high school was a worthwhile experience. And who hasn't had that feeling of relief at the beginning of summer break, and that sick feeling in the pit of their stomach when summer was over? Or recognized immediately on the first day of college that a student actually can be treated like a person, not an inmate? I recall sitting in a college class that had a recent high school graduate in it, and he raised his hand asking if he could use the washroom. The instructor just looked at him and told him that he is in the real world now, and doesn't need to get permission for a normal bodily function. Of course, you might be right, in that I probably spend too much time reflecting on something from 25 years ago. It is the main reason that I don't put up with BS from people I work with -- had enough of that from school teachers. But it is possible that it affected me bad enough that I could probably use some counseling about it, if it is considered normal to just forget about what high school (and junior high, to an extent) was like.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
calebhicks 12y ago
I'm in my 4th year of teaching, yet I graduated from high school 10 years ago. How well do you remember your daily schedule from 10 years ago? Do you remember what made you restless? What made you tired? What made you stop paying attention? And were you so meta cognizant that you recognized the source of that restlessness? Doubt it. It is rare for teachers to have the time to truly consider the student's perspective in their class, and the context of how that fits into the entire school day experience. EDIT: I should note that I read this article a few days ago. The entire staff at my school held a discussion on how to make school better in that regard. This blog post alone will at minimum affect the 1400 students at our school, but given the number of places I've seen it shared, it will have a much larger impact than that. Always a good reminder.
- derekp7 12y ago
  I can appreciate the fresh aspect of it, but I do definitely recall the stark contrast between 12th grade and my first semester at the local community college. Just the fact that you didn't always have to be in a class room -- you could schedule an hour break between classes, and go hang out in the cafeteria or library to catch up on some work. Or go outside between classes and walk around (in high school it was like being in a day prison, not allowed to leave the building). Oh, and you didn't need to get anyone's permission to use the washroom. Not to mention that there was no forced group activities such as dodge ball (any athletics was strictly up to you signing up for it).
  - zyxley 12y ago
    For me, the biggest change between high school and college was honestly just being able to wake up at 8 AM instead of 6-something. Suddenly my recurring insomnia, and my tendency to just flat-out fall asleep during afternoon classes, were mostly gone.
  - calebhicks 12y ago
    I don't disagree. In fact, I agree completely with the author of the linked post. The symptoms he writes about are very real, and very damaging. I just think it's hard to expect every teacher (even fresh ones, 4-6 years out of high school themselves), to remember these specific causes of what made high school a subpar learning environment.
cafard 12y ago
I think that rather one gets used to that stuff in school--by high school you've had eight or nine years of it. But coming back to it as an adult, it can be a surprise. As a parent, I did find some of the offspring's work odd. Some was the stuff we did (maybe resenting, but taking for granted), some involved new trends.
cbd1984 12y ago
She's accustomed to being an adult, and being treated with respect. High school students aren't accorded much respect, from needing permission to use the restroom right on through the existence of bullying and other 'hijinks' which would be viewed as prosecutable criminal offenses in any non-pathological office workplace.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
torbit 12y ago
tldr the person got old, and realized they were old. In HS I had English, Physics (very fun and active), Drafting (elective), Algebra (1or2), spanish 1. Caring a full backpack was worse for me. I remember it tearing apart on top from the weight
jemfinch 12y ago
I have three kids: a five year old, a three year old, and an infant. They all cry when they get tired. I did too, when I was their age. Now, as an adult, I know that they're only crying because they're tired. But they, as children, aren't self-aware enough to realize that. Neither was I, when I was their age. When I was in high school, I was restless, but I didn't realize it was because I needed some physical activity. I was bored, but I didn't realize that sitting passively for 90% of the day wasn't "normal". I felt like a nuisance, but I didn't realize that I shouldn't. Every teacher was a high school student at some point, but the memory they formed were not formed with the self-awareness they possess as adults. Re-experiencing the same conditions a decade or two later is enlightening precisely because you understand yourself so much better.
kirsebaer 12y ago
Seems like many people who become teachers enjoyed school. Also, when she was a teenager she may have blamed herself and her peers for restlessness and other problems rather than blaming the system.

by derekp7 12y ago

inclemnet 12y ago

You don't need trauma to just forget things. You've experienced many hours of continuous stimulation every day for years, and most of that is naturally thrown away, including the mental impact of experiences that seem at the time like they will always stay with you. Plus, it seems reasonable that doing the same tasks from the point of view of actually being the teacher, now having a lot more life experience and other things to think about, should make previously normal parts of the experience stand out. If you think this should be unnecessary, and 'obvious' just from thinking back to your own school days, I think you are either highly abnormal or simply wrong.

derekp7 12y ago
::I think you are either highly abnormal or simply wrong. Is it really that abnormal to remember the stresses of a bad situation, especially when you transitioned to a better one? I can see people not thinking anything is wrong while they are going through the experience, but I really can't find anyone that I know, at least, who thinks high school was a worthwhile experience. And who hasn't had that feeling of relief at the beginning of summer break, and that sick feeling in the pit of their stomach when summer was over? Or recognized immediately on the first day of college that a student actually can be treated like a person, not an inmate? I recall sitting in a college class that had a recent high school graduate in it, and he raised his hand asking if he could use the washroom. The instructor just looked at him and told him that he is in the real world now, and doesn't need to get permission for a normal bodily function. Of course, you might be right, in that I probably spend too much time reflecting on something from 25 years ago. It is the main reason that I don't put up with BS from people I work with -- had enough of that from school teachers. But it is possible that it affected me bad enough that I could probably use some counseling about it, if it is considered normal to just forget about what high school (and junior high, to an extent) was like.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

calebhicks 12y ago

I'm in my 4th year of teaching, yet I graduated from high school 10 years ago. How well do you remember your daily schedule from 10 years ago? Do you remember what made you restless? What made you tired? What made you stop paying attention? And were you so meta cognizant that you recognized the source of that restlessness? Doubt it. It is rare for teachers to have the time to truly consider the student's perspective in their class, and the context of how that fits into the entire school day experience. EDIT: I should note that I read this article a few days ago. The entire staff at my school held a discussion on how to make school better in that regard. This blog post alone will at minimum affect the 1400 students at our school, but given the number of places I've seen it shared, it will have a much larger impact than that. Always a good reminder.

derekp7 12y ago
I can appreciate the fresh aspect of it, but I do definitely recall the stark contrast between 12th grade and my first semester at the local community college. Just the fact that you didn't always have to be in a class room -- you could schedule an hour break between classes, and go hang out in the cafeteria or library to catch up on some work. Or go outside between classes and walk around (in high school it was like being in a day prison, not allowed to leave the building). Oh, and you didn't need to get anyone's permission to use the washroom. Not to mention that there was no forced group activities such as dodge ball (any athletics was strictly up to you signing up for it).
- zyxley 12y ago
  For me, the biggest change between high school and college was honestly just being able to wake up at 8 AM instead of 6-something. Suddenly my recurring insomnia, and my tendency to just flat-out fall asleep during afternoon classes, were mostly gone.
- calebhicks 12y ago
  I don't disagree. In fact, I agree completely with the author of the linked post. The symptoms he writes about are very real, and very damaging. I just think it's hard to expect every teacher (even fresh ones, 4-6 years out of high school themselves), to remember these specific causes of what made high school a subpar learning environment.

cafard 12y ago

I think that rather one gets used to that stuff in school--by high school you've had eight or nine years of it. But coming back to it as an adult, it can be a surprise. As a parent, I did find some of the offspring's work odd. Some was the stuff we did (maybe resenting, but taking for granted), some involved new trends.

cbd1984 12y ago

She's accustomed to being an adult, and being treated with respect. High school students aren't accorded much respect, from needing permission to use the restroom right on through the existence of bullying and other 'hijinks' which would be viewed as prosecutable criminal offenses in any non-pathological office workplace.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

torbit 12y ago

tldr the person got old, and realized they were old. In HS I had English, Physics (very fun and active), Drafting (elective), Algebra (1or2), spanish 1. Caring a full backpack was worse for me. I remember it tearing apart on top from the weight

jemfinch 12y ago

I have three kids: a five year old, a three year old, and an infant. They all cry when they get tired. I did too, when I was their age. Now, as an adult, I know that they're only crying because they're tired. But they, as children, aren't self-aware enough to realize that. Neither was I, when I was their age. When I was in high school, I was restless, but I didn't realize it was because I needed some physical activity. I was bored, but I didn't realize that sitting passively for 90% of the day wasn't "normal". I felt like a nuisance, but I didn't realize that I shouldn't. Every teacher was a high school student at some point, but the memory they formed were not formed with the self-awareness they possess as adults. Re-experiencing the same conditions a decade or two later is enlightening precisely because you understand yourself so much better.

kirsebaer 12y ago

Seems like many people who become teachers enjoyed school. Also, when she was a teenager she may have blamed herself and her peers for restlessness and other problems rather than blaming the system.