I'm working hard at being patient with my classes this time around. And that can be tough. These guys and gals have a tendency to blurt. (Which, by the way, is a hilarious word. Blurt, blurt, blurt.) Sometimes they blurt answers to my questions, sometimes they blurt their inner thoughts, and sometimes they blurt pure nonsense. They blurt over the top of me.
In the past I have worked hard in such situations to enforce the "hold your silence and raise your hand" routine. It tends to take more vigilance than I can muster for too long. And besides, it seems designed to reinforce a culture of conformity that I'm not so sure should be our grand goal.
I think we teachers too often forget what it was like to spend 7 hours a day trapped in those uncomfortable desks, listening to other people's directions. I have seen adults get restless in under 30 minutes of a standard meeting and find it impossible to refrain from cracking jokes and making comments to the people in their immediate vicinity.
How many of us could bear walking in our students' shoes - and sitting at their desks - for even one full day?
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