Too many teachers want to "change the world" or whatever. It's easier to turn (someone else's) kids into "agents of change" or "members of The Resistance" than it is to teach them to read, write, and calculate.
Yet, teaching them to read, write, and calculate is what the public expects of us. We should do that before we put on our amateur psychologist or community organizer hats:
Nearly half of U.S. children have experienced childhood trauma, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health. “Adverse childhood events” or ACEs, include parental divorce or separation, as well as poverty, racial/ethnic bias, witnessing violence, living with an alcoholic, addict or suicidal person and having a parent in jail. Twenty-two percent have experienced two or more ACEs, one in 10 three or more...The "soft bigotry of low expectations", anyone?
With the rise of social-emotional learning, we are in danger of pathologizing childhood, writes Rick Hess in Education Week. He cites Fordham fellow Robert Pondiscio, who warns that “trauma-informed” education “can push us to view children as trauma victims and teachers as therapists.”
Pondiscio worries about teachers devoting their time and energy to social work rather than academics.
If you view half your class—and in impoverished areas the vast majority of your class—as trauma victims, as struggling or vulnerable, it’s almost inevitable that low or reduced expectations will take root.
I agree with this comment on Joanne's post:
Ann in L.A. says
Teachers are not psychologists. It takes about 7+ years to become a psychologist: college, grad school, apprenticeship, etc. Teachers are simply not qualified and should not be tasked with being psychologists.We should do what we're paid to do.
