Personal Responsibility

I have had several interesting conversations recently that made me continue to think about the culture we live in today and the culture we are fostering in our schools.

Let me start with my conclusion: We live in a culture where personal responsibility is seriously lacking. People blame others for everything wrong in their lives. "It's McDonald's fault that I spilled hot coffee in my lap. They should have told me it was hot!" Umm...lady...it's coffee! Coffee is generally served hot! Or even more ridiculous, "It's McDonald's fault that I'm fat!" No, you're fat because you choose to eat McDonald's every day.

The more I teach, the more I get frustrated with this mentality that my students bring into the classroom that everything is someone else's fault. Yes, I have a responsibility to teach them and to maintain a safe and effective learning environment, but there comes a point when they have to take responsibility for their own education.

Example: The other day, I had a student who lost his book. I had borrowed the book from him, but given it back almost immediately. He came to me and asked if I had his book because he couldn't find it anywhere. He was sure the last time he saw it was when I borrowed it. I told him, I was pretty sure I gave it back. He was pretty sure I hadn't because "I looked EVERYWHERE for it at home!" Lo and behold, the next week his mom found his book ON HIS DRESSER.

Okay, so that's not a great example. I mean, I've thought someone has had something of mine when they didn't. Honest mistake right?

Same kid was taking a test this week. "I wasn't here when we learned this!" According to my attendance sheet, he was here (at least physically) when I taught it, but even if he wasn't, he NEVER came in to find out what he missed on the day he was gone. PLUS, he had seen the test the day before (there wasn't enough time to finish the first day, so I gave them extra time the next day) and he didn't mention ANYTHING about not knowing the material, nor did he come in for help between the first and second day. PLUS, I had gone over the material AGAIN the previous day and they could have taken notes and used them!

"It's not my fault that I don't know this. I KNOW you never taught this to me because I don't remember it at all!"

Okay, first of all, you WERE here that day. Second of all, I went over it again yesterday right before the test and you didn't take notes on it.

Of course, the inevitable. "It's not fair."

Later on he looked at his notes. "Oh yeah, I found the notes on this. I guess I was here."

Students' automatic assumption is, "If I didn't learn something, it's the teacher's fault."

I had a conversation with a couple of students today about their previous math class. Granted, their previous teacher did have classroom management issues. Yes, the teacher does have a responsibility to be the adult and manage the class. BUT it's a heck of a lot easier to get yourself to pay attention than it is to get other people to pay attention.

Anyways. They were talking about how part of the class involved throwing things at the teacher (truth or dare) and part of the class played psp in the background when the teacher wasn't looking. Then they said, "But (our teacher) didn't teach us ANYTHING!"

Again, yes the teacher has a responsibility to create a positive learning environment, but the kids didn't see themselves as having ANY responsibility for having not learned anything.

"Well, I'm sure he/she tried to teach you, but did you pay attention?"

Turns out they participated in throwing things and goofing off.

"But it's the teacher's job to keep the class under control! He/she needs to put his/her foot down!"

So the student has no responsibility to BE "under control"?

Again, what they said definitely has truth in it. The adult needs to be the adult and set and enforce boundaries (harder than it sounds). Yet what irritates me, is that the kids don't see their own role in the fact that they "didn't learn anything last year."

I was in a class in high school where the kids were HORRIBLE to the teacher. I chose not to participate in the negative behavior and I still got something out of the class because I chose to. It wasn't like the teacher wasn't trying to teach. She was trying, but kids chose to misbehave or not.

What was REALLY interesting was a conversation I had with another teacher who mentioned that there was a kid who transferred to our school from a high performing private school. He made a very keen observation. "At (the private school) the teachers did nothing, but they made the kids do all the work. Here the teachers do all the work, and the kids do nothing."

So many kids nowadays expect to be spoon fed everything, and if the spoon doesn't reach their mouth, "It's not my fault!"

I have to admit, I participate in spoon feeding far too often. I'm just still not sure how to get kids to do stuff on their own.

I have a dream that one day, I'll figure out the secret of getting kids to take some personal responsibility for their own lives.

However, as I mentioned at the beginning of my post, it's tough when the culture we live in promotes blame shifting above responsibility.