Point of View

Ask two witnesses to tell you exactly what happened, and more often than not you'll get two very different reports. This is the wonderful thing about teaching in the arts: instead of starting with an adult picture of things, we get to ask the children (or teens) first what they think. And it's always wonderful to notice differences in perception.

For example, a second grader recently greeted me with the remark, "When I saw you, I thought you were a beautiful princess!" But from a teenager in my high school class: "Ms. Susannah, you could be on that (TV) show about 'what NOT to wear!'"

It's really one of the best things about teaching.. the surprises from discovering students' points of view. When asked why students drop out of high school, a random sampling of my juniors and seniors reported differing reasons:
1. they can't handle the pressure and the work is too hard so they drop out
2. they're lazy, have other interests, and don't want to do the work so they drop out

My lovely second graders were quite knowledgeable this week about ocean life, describing it eloquently with hands drawing shapes in the air. "I've SEEN coral, and it's wavy up and down like this. It's soft." "I should be the one to draw the coral. It's a big block. It's hard with holes in it and the fish can go in the holes." When exploring how to show setting in a play, the learning happens in the wondering and questioning. One answer leads to another question and another answer and so forth, in a process that seems like a kind of forensics. Too often, I've seen the yawns and glazed eyes when I set out the total picture for my students ready-made. At times I have to simply teach basic skills or information, but when a class is really exciting, it seems as if we're all teaching each other.

Where does appreciating another's point of view end and deciding on the "right" course begin? For example, in the case of determining what is torture at Guantanamo, or which services to cut in order to solve the budget deficit. Will our educational system prepare our students for solving life's complex problems?