Free Write

Essential thoughts: 
I’ve never really had guiding principles in terms of grammar. I don’t even remember the last class in which I was taught grammar. I suppose it was somewhere around seventh grade, but if asked specifics about what I learned, I would probably stare blankly. I suppose my desire to make my own class memorable and beneficial for my students stems from that realization - grammar education is excruciatingly forgettable.

Newly found principles on grammar: 
While grammar and the ability to speak properly have always come easily for me, I realize those two things are not innate. Until recently, I never realized how much my upbringing influenced my speech, and consequently my writing. I, like most people, write the way I speak, so my writing has always been at least passable. My mother has a fantastic vocabulary and is exceptionally articulate, so as a child, I had constant exposure to proper English. As a toddler phrases like, “Consider your actions!” were not uncommon. It was easy for me to learn how to write higher level essays because I didn’t have to think about word choice and mechanics, I just had to learn how to organize an essay and develop my thoughts. The area in which I teach is not one that is known for its residents’ ability to speak formal English. As a writing teacher, I am slapped in the face daily by the reality that what I teach is cancelled out several times over as soon as my kids go home. Fifty five minutes a day (or 20 of my talking) is not enough to impact them.

So... my guiding principles? Teach them the fundamentals. The fact that I didn’t have to learn the fundamentals does not mean that they don’t. I treat it as though I am giving a golf lesson to a player who has practiced bad habits for years. They may know how to play golf. They probably do it every day. But the more they ingrain the wrong practices, the harder it becomes to reverse them. So I have to break it down. I have to pretend the player is not an athlete, that they have never played a good round of golf, that they have only seen one played. This amateur hacker is analogous to my average student. They have heard people use proper English, but they have practiced bad habits for years. They may know how to communicate using English because they do it every day, but unless I take them back to the basics, they will continue to build on the wrong practices. They will forever make it to the 18th hole but be disappointed with the score on their card.

Sure, We Can Learn From Finland... Maybe.

I recently read a Boston Globe op-ed piece that suggested the United States look to Finland as an example for education reform. The author talks about the absence of standardized tests, idolization of teachers, and equal performance out of students regardless of social class. Wow. I would be lying if I said that didn't sound fantastic. Standardized tests are the bane of our existence in rural Mississippi. Of course I want to be idolized... and if my students performed as well as the rich kids of Dublin, OH, my job would be a whole lot easier.

But it's not fun to agree. Let's play devil's advocate.

Three reasons why I don't think Finland's methods would work for US

1. Finland is largely homogeneous - Finns do not face the same racial barriers as Americans.
Now, before I moved down to Mississippi, I would have rolled my eyes at that statement. "We don't have problems with race," I would've said as a proud Yankee. "It's the 21st century." Sorry, 2006-version of Andrea. You're wrong. Race is as much of an issue down here as it was 30 years ago. It is amazing how much of an inhibitor poor race relations can be. There are still parents who won't admit that a teacher of another color may do a good job. There are still parents who would rather have segregated schools. One of the main components of Finland's system is parental involvement and feedback. That can't work until parents and teachers of opposite races can sit in a classroom and respectfully collaborate.

2. Teachers won't be idolized here.
In Finland, teachers are required to hold higher-level degrees, so they have impeccable pedagogical skills and subject knowledge. When teachers are that highly-qualified, they automatically gain respect. Finns regard teachers with the same confidence as doctors. The problem for the United States is that teachers don't get paid enough to justify spending large amounts of money on advanced degrees. School districts would rather employ a recent education school graduate with no Master's degree than an experienced teacher with a PhD. It costs the district less. Even some of the better public schools allow teachers 5-10 years to acquire their Master's. So my shocking solution? Pay us more.

3. Getting rid of standardized tests is easier said than done.
Sure, I would love nothing more than to say goodbye to the Mississippi Curriculum Test, but phasing out standardized tests in the United States could take years. As it is set up now, a large amount of school funding comes from test performance. With the current system in place, if we pull the tests, we lose the money. Of course schools get some money from other sources, but until the government has figured out a new way to support and motivate struggling schools, I guess we have to stick with the way things are.

Finland, I tip my hat to you... we're just not there yet.