Academic Rigor
November 7, 2006
Rumor around school is that my AP Psychology class is somewhat difficult. I like that. The older I get, the more I start to appreciate the teachers and professors I had throughout the years who made my life feel like hell. When I think about it, those are the individuals who forced me to learn.
I see myself as a single voice amidst a sea of stimuli in my students’ lives. On a consistent basis, they have to decide whether to think about my class or the opposite sex, sports, video games, television, myspace, their job, or their family. Considering that my class is no match for any of the other above mentioned stimuli, it is easily understood how a student can “forget” to read, do an assignment, etc.
A typical student sits in my classroom three to four-and-a-half hours each week on an alternating schedule (3 hours one week, 4.5 the next). I recognize that this is not nearly enough time to really teach them everything I expect them to learn. Therefore, what they learn in my class is largely dependent upon their commitment to learning, not my ability to teach.
Many teachers come to this same conclusion - that students have busy lives that appear to conflict with their own expectations of what is academically necessary. As a result, I feel, many teachers lower their expectations. It’s tough to give bad grades to good students; it’s much easier to simply lower the standard. The consequence has been, in my opinion, a watered down education system in America.
Writing this, I realize that my expectations are conspicuous considering my laid-back nature and “diverse” academic past. Nevertheless, it is my job to teach students. The word teach implies that someone is learning. I spend 8 to 12 hours some weekends working on; reading about; researching psychology. If I am not as tough on my students as I am on myself academically, I’m simply not doing my job.
Granted, students are in a naturally passive role: sitting through class after class, listening, and taking notes. I can’t expect them to devote the same amount of time that I do to my subject - that would be absurd. However, I can expect them to master all of the material I present - and I do. If I teach it, they should learn it. If they don’t learn it from me (perhaps because I used a vague example), they should continue their learning elsewhere (the Internet, textbook, etc.).
I tell students on the second day of class that I am not the most important person in the classroom - they are. I am merely a facilitator of classroom activities. This stance, along with highly comprehensive tests, has given AP Psychology the reputation of being a tough class.
The bottom line is that I am certain that students who take my AP Psychology class will leave knowing a lot about psychology. For this, I am satisfied. My job has a purpose beyond entertainment.