SEPTEMBER 2008

Perspectives / Ode to Positive Teachers

By Marge Scherer
I've never set much store by positive thinking. At best, always looking on the
bright side seems too Pollyannaish, and at worst, trying to pretend away harsh realities
seems manipulative and dishonest. rom my graduate school days, I recall the !uip o" a
#ournalism pro"essor$ %In this country, only #ournalists are allowed to be negative.% In that
post&'atergate era, being critical was actually the hallmark o" idealism and re"orm&
mindedness.
'orking with children so much, educators are pro"essionally predisposed to be
optimistic. A"ter all, most teachers go into the pro"ession to help members o" the younger
generation "ul"ill their hopes "or the "uture. As with #ournalism, however, truly positive
teaching is complicated and comes in di""erent guises.
(ake, "or e)ample, the late Pro"essor *andy Pausch, whose iconic last lecture
"eatured on +ou(ube is a testimony to positive thinking.
,
aced with a prognosis o"
death in his -.s, he pulls out all the stops to impart li"e lessons to his students. But the
li"e lessons are cloaked in what he calls %head "akes.% An amusing lecture that is
ostensibly about "ul"illing childhood dreams is really about the hard work o" living your
li"e. 'hat is, on the sur"ace, a lecture to college students studying technology is actually
a legacy to his own children. In his teaching, Pausch also used %head "akes.% Awed by
his students' "irst %virtual world% pro#ects, he told them, %(hese are good, but I know you
can do much better.%
/indi *igsbee, a middle school teacher, recalls in a (eacher 0eaders 1etwork
column 23..45 that when she began her career, every day was a battle. (hat was the
year her mantra became, %I" you make them the enemy, they win.% She describes a
more recent encounter with a 6th grader attempting to disrupt the class. Instead o"
responding harshly, she walked over to him, spoke calmly, and wrapped an arm around
his shoulder. 7e grinned and went back to work. %'hatever it takes, build relationships,%
is her advice to teachers who struggle.
ARTICLE 3
In Sweating the Small Stuff, 8avid 'hitman 23..45 sketches portraits o"
success"ul inner&city schools taking a tough, even rigid, approach toward their
students. Many o" these schools unapologetically en"orce a detailed code o" conduct
and have low tolerance "or disorder. (he attitude is paternalistic, and some o" these
school practices would seem old&"ashioned, even disheartening, i" that is all these
schools o""ered. But these schools also "ollow through, make connections with
students, tailor assistance "or strugglers, and create a sense o" community.
1ew teachers embarking on their "irst #ob invariably look "orward to working
with kids. +et, they can !uickly lose their positive attitudes when "aced with di""icult
situations$ kids who won't do homework, colleagues mired in the old ways, parents
who de"end the worst behavior o" their o""spring, policymakers who critici9e schools,
pressures to teach to tests, and an apparent lack o" time to teach meaning"ully.
In this issue, educators tell how they make negative situations positive and
good situations better. (hey don't all do it in the same way. Some o""er positive
support "or good behavior 2p. :45; others adopt the stance o" %a warm demander% 2p.
<-5. Some concentrate on directly teaching positive behaviors 2see, especially, p.
,=5. Still others teach students how to "ight realities such as violence and bigotry 2p.
--5. Some %wage% peace in war&torn countries 2p. :35. And our lead article
celebrates #oy, not to be con"used with "un, although perhaps there is a place "or
"un, too 2p. 45. All o" our authors keep in mind the twin messages o" teaching that
should never be teased apart$ %I care about you. And I care about your learning.%
'illiam Ayers, in an essay entitled %(he 7ope and Practice o" (eaching%
23..=5, advises beginning teachers to re#ect the %8on't smile until /hristmas%
ma)ims o" teaching and start in a di""erent place, with a "aith that every child comes
to you a whole and multidimensional being, much like yoursel".... I want beginning
teachers to... re#ect these cliches..., to stand on their own "eet, and to make their
way toward the moral heart o" teaching at its best.
It is enough to restore your "aith in positive thinking.