Recently, I had the privilege of meeting the vice chair from ALPHA Toronto. ALPHA Toronto is an organization dedicated to the memory of the many Chinese people who suffered severe atrocities from 1931 through the end of World War II. One of the projects that ALPHA sponsors is a yearly trip offered to educators to raise awareness of these often forgotten atrocities. In fact, many are not even aware that any such atrocities ever happened. Part of the presentation included a video which used a teacher's journal as its narration. As I watched the video I could hear the material that she was witnessing becoming embedded in her. She spoke of how she would never forget what she saw because she had heard the stories first hand. History had become alive to her. It was almost like she was experiencing the very events she was reflecting in the first person. Near the end of her reflection she commented on how she would teach the material. It is worthwhile to quote her because she captures something that needs to be central for all teachers.
"When I teach this I will be motivated by more than curriculum, I will motivated by personal memory, by passion and by a sincere desire to prevent these horrors and atrocities from happening again." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcjSEErQ6Vw&feature=related
The part of this quote that struck me the most was that this teacher was committing herself to be motivated by more than just curriculum. It is true that teachers must teach the curriculum that is mandated by their jurisdiction. However, what this teacher is saying is something that no government can really mandate. The Ministry of Education can spell out what they believe to be the goal of educating the students is. The Ministry cannot tell a teacher what their motivation for teaching curriculum really is. I am becoming more and more convinced that teachers need to approach the subjects that we teach as living organisms. They are alive. Teaching is an intrinsic activity. It must come from a place that is deeper than just finishing what the curriculum mandates us to cover. Teachers must connect with the subject that they teach.
During a Language/Literacy lecture, the professor asked a very challenging question. She asked the class if they thought it was possible for a teacher who was not passionate about literacy to teach literacy effectively. A spirited debate ensued. A teacher who is teaching to the curriculum will see a result that will be lacking. Although a student may receive a grade that indicates a level of success the student could very well leave that class missing out on something that is far greater than a successful grade. They will be missing that personal connection that is demonstrated by a teacher who is connected and passionate about what they are teaching.
I leave the following question. What kind of teacher should be in the classroom? I would love to be a student in the classroom of this teacher who openly shared her own passion and desire. When teachers connect to the material that they teach so that they are motivated by more than curriculum than we are successful. We are creating lovers of learning. I am convinced that students can easily tell when a teacher is putting in time or if a teacher absolutely loves what they are doing. Frankly, we can all remember teachers who were enduring their days by merely attempting to fulfill curriculum. We also remember the teachers who took our minds to places that we were not even aware we were capable of going there. So, thank you to David Frostad, Rod Appleby, Anne MacTaggart, Ryan Hall, Dr. Carl Hinderager, Dr. Norman Regier, Dr. Scott Masson, Dr. Ben Reynolds, Dr. Eric Crouse, and Dr. Brad Faught for being people who took me to those places that made learning come alive. They challenged me to think for myself. They challenged me to think critically. They fostered the love of learning in me which remains alive and well in me today. They were bold people who were never satisfied with merely teaching curriculum. They were motivated by something greater. It was intrinsic. It was passion that drove them and it is passion that continues to drive them.
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