Day 810: A Miltant Classroom

Throughout the last seven years at my current charter school a consistent criticism of charters has been that we seem to have a militant approach toward behavior.

Let me take a moment to assure the reader that today's entry, nearly 100 days since my last post, will not be a platform for my political views on the status of public education in New York City. A bow tie blog is hardly the forum for such matters. As a 14-year veteran of the NYC public school system (7 years in the traditional public school setting prior to being a founding charter school teacher), however, I do feel it's my responsibility to share some of my insights - not as a form of judgement against either type of public school, but to offer a deeper look into my classroom.

I would be honored if someone were to describe my classroom as militant.

Let's take a moment to step back and address how our friends at Google define militant.

"Combative and aggressive in support of a political or social cause"

One of the primary reasons I signed up to work in a charter school (and ultimately why I think I became a teacher) is because I personally view education - especially the education of children in urban and low  income households - as a social cause worth doing something about. The achievement gap exists. It's a real thing and unless we take an aggressive approach toward closing the gap, we will condemn our children of color to a future without the hope of realizing what EDUCATION = FREEDOM really means. Unfortunately, it seems that we live in a culture where any action outside of updating your Facebook status seems extreme. It's easier to post a clever meme than to actually step outside of our comfort zone and do something that will leave our society better than we found it. I will not apologize if my practices seem combative. I will do whatever I think is necessary to engage your child's attention, fight off any form of distraction with a strategic focus on what each child needs to be successful as a student of math and as a member of society. My lessons will never be limited to applying a formula to solve for the volume of a rectangular prism, but will be peppered with moments where determination, grit, risk-taking and team work is celebrated.

As the son of a veteran of the Vietnam war I grew up with a sense of pride for serving our country. Old Glory even hangs from the wall in our living room. The idea that my classroom would be deemed militant is a humbling thought because of what I perceive the military to be. The military, by definition, is a place where soldiers (who often volunteer) are trained to serve their country. Think about that for a moment and let the idea of their service sink in. Now allow me to note some parallels. Our students often come to us, having volunteered to join our school's community. It is a school of choice. Students had to win a lottery to get in, but their families can choose another school as they see fit. As soldiers in the front lines of this social cause (some have called this a modern civil rights movement) teachers have the responsibility to train, or discipline, students to value their education. Training does not equal comfort. Training does not equal entertainment. Training equals hard work and I often joke with my students, er scholars, that if they ever find themselves smiling in class it's an added bonus because I never intend on them enjoying the hard work that I will have prepared for them everyday. Extreme? Maybe compared to what's going on down the hall. Radical? I hope so.

One of my favorite passages in Scripture openly states that "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." Proverbs 22:15 Am I saying that you're child's a fool? Absolutely not. I do hold to a conviction rooted in that passage that motivates me daily to rid your child of any foolishness with my metaphorical rod - and replace that foolishness with the knowledge and wisdom that will turn that will, hopefully, contribute to growing that child into a productive member of our society.

Militant? Sounds like I'm doing something right. Now back to bow ties.