Homework for the Teacher: Questions from down the Hall

Abstract

Let me say that these are not your angry-at-life, nothing-will-please-them kind of parents. No, they just want their money's worth and want us to do right by their high-performing children. Since our middle school did away with tracking seven years ago, I have been an enthusiastic supporter of heterogeneous grouping. I had seen enough of the death sentence that low tracked classes can be for its prisoners. I run a classroom that challenges top students as well as provides opportunities for the less able to succeed, or at least I like to think so. Today's parent conferences stir doubts into my self-per ception of being a complete teacher. I began this school year in a new position as the lan guage arts teacher for all five sections of eighth graders at Frisbee Middle School in Kittery, Maine, after seven years in a similar position in the seventh grade. The change of grade levels has not been as simple as I had imagined it would be. Daily I am creating workshops to support the curriculum as well as learning that eighth graders are not merely seventh graders who are just a year older. Eighth graders are a distinct entity unto themselves, with per sonalities and attitudes that challenge me and my assumptions about them. Many days I leave school phys ically exhausted. And now the parents tell me they want more homework. Geez, I am working hard already. One option I offer to challenge all my students is an honors program. This self-selected honors program gives students the opportunity to create a project that is relat ed to the writing workshop at hand. For example, for the Coming of Age Writing Workshop—Freedoms, Rules, and Ethics, all students take a piece of writing through the drafting process by rewriting, meeting in peer response groups, and having teacher conferences. The honors students then create a project, be it a mobile, a skit, a mural, a newspaper, or one of 79 other choices list ed by Taylor (1994). Figure 1 lists 48 of Taylor's sugges tions. They reach beyond their linguistic intelligence to their artistic, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, or intrapersonal intelligence (Gardner, 1983) to show evi dence of their greater understanding of the issues of free dom, rules, and ethics. By design, I expect them to make their own con nections with the issues of the writing workshop and demonstrate them. As teacher my role is not only to con sult and facilitate their exploration, but also to resist the seductive role of being their Answer Man. Now sit me down and tell it to me straight, Should I be more direc tive? Am I doing my part to challenge my students? Are the students doing their part? What is the appropriate interplay between a teacher setting high standards and students being responsible to challenge themselves? When I assign public speaking and reciting for my eighth graders in preparation for the Seven Seas Writing