Chapter Five: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

"I never liked chemistry or physics or anything, but one day I brought in a Stephen Hawking book on the history of the universe- I asked the teacher about it. He was talking about light, about how it's in packets, and how you can use light to turn chemicals into certain things. So I asked: 'Couldn't you theoretically turn something into anything?' And he said: 'No. That's science fiction,' and went on with his class. And I'm thinking: ' But Stephen Hawking said that- this is the only thing I have to contribute- I practiced all night to say this-' And so I just put my head back down on the desk" -Vance (page 88).

Wow. How can any aspiring educator or teacher read a comment like this and not reevaluate aspects of curriculum today? Here is a student who is clearly interested in the topic being taught, and he is completely disregarded because his question has no relevance to a chemistry textbook. Should not the teacher be absolutely thrilled that this particular student is making connections and applying concepts learned in the classroom to other scientific theories?

I could not believe that any teacher could ignore questions like these. Although the question may be mainly about science fiction, the student was clearly able to make the connection that if light can turn chemicals into certain things that maybe we could turn something into anything. The fact that the student was applying a classroom concept to real life and was attempting to uncover the content, and not just merely memorizing repetitious facts, is the ideal goal that educators should be attempting to attain. Not only did the teacher ignore the student's attempt to participate in the class discussion, but the teacher also disregarded the fact that the student worked and thought about Stephen Hawking's theory all night. That student put hard work and thought into his question and his attempt to create connections in chemistry. Because the teacher ignored and brushed off the student's question, he just put his head back down on the desk and continued to struggle with his enjoyment and comprehension of chemistry. That student will probably never want to contribute anything to that class again. That, to me, is utterly depressing. I will never stifle a student's effort in attempting to understand and make connections to the material given to them in class. If I am able to break this common mistake made by educators, then I will be able to capture my students' interest... even in subjects that are difficult for them to understand. Who cares if the students' questions break free from the text books? Isn't that what learning is all about?