I Never Asked My Students About Their Aspirations. Don’t Make That Mistake.
September 26, 2019
By: Sheri Rodman
Source: EdSurge
Twenty years ago, I was a freshman in high school. I spent the next four years in my assigned seat among the rows of desks, trying to listen to the teacher at the front of the room, completing homework assignments from textbooks, and preparing for tests by making countless flashcards. I was a well-behaved student and earned As and Bs, so most of the adults in the building didn’t pay much attention to me.
I was never particularly excited about any one class. I met with my guidance counselor once or twice; I was confident I’d go to college, but I don’t remember any adults talking to me about career opportunities. It was as if going to college was the end goal, and it didn’t matter what came afterward.
Eight years later, I was back in high school again, this time as a math teacher. I modeled my classroom after the classrooms in the high school I attended—rows of desks, the teacher at the front of the room, nightly homework, and regular assessments. I cared deeply about my students and tried to improve my practice, but I was young and only knew what I had experienced myself.