How I Teach

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

~ Epictetus

I also teach by expecting. I expect students to be responsible for themselves, their learning, and also for each other. For each other? Not in the sense that they will "carry" their fellow classmates, but in that students understand, while their learning is their own, that they are a part of a team, a collective, a greater good. We all earn our grades individually, but the learning process is not in isolation. Some of my greatest joys in the classroom are when a student is working on a project or a problem and another student (seemingly not paying any attention and working quietly on their on) will pop up with a suggestion for the struggling student. I also love it when I hear the words "I never thought about it that way" from a student while in conversation with another.

I teach by empowering. When a student says that they could not have achieved their accomplishments without me, I tell them that their success is 99% them and 1% me. I am just the person who unlocks the classroom door and lets them in. Well, I do a little more than that. :) Helping students to see their potential is foremost to teaching. In a Corrections setting, it is everything. In Basic Skills, none of my students have earned a high school diploma or GED, and they range in age from 18-60+. Many of them left school in elementary school. They have been told they are dumb, can't do it, are not worth anyone's time to help them. There is so much they do not know, things most of us take for granted. Not just the academic side of school, but also the social, logistic, appropriate side of being in a classroom. I am so glad the words Edmonds College are painted big and blue on my classroom wall. The first day of every quarter, I tell my students that, while they are still in prison (I doubt they will forget), when they walk through our classroom door, they are an Edmonds College student. College! To most of my students, being enrolled in college is unfathomable. I remind them of this in an effort to educate and guide them through appropriate behavior in a college classroom. You can't know what you don't know, and we spend time discussing pro-social behavior and college appropriateness. Soon, most students will become mentors for others, will model positive behavior, and will help guide them onto this path. I believe they will take what they have learned (far beyond how to write an essay or solve an algebraic equation) and carry it with them into life. Life either within the prison walls or out "on the streets." Every morning I walk down the prison breezeway to my classroom, and I will pass former students. The change in them is palpable; just this week I ran into a student who just graduated earning his high school diploma. He is in his 50s and never thought he would be a high school graduate. As he greeted me, his smile was from ear to ear. I told him he walks taller now that he has graduated. Face beaming, he replied, "Yes, I do."

I teach by learning. My students teach me so much; they always have. Corrections students have taught me things I never expected to learn or knew existed. A prison is its own culture: specific, tight, powerful, potentially dangerous. It is not uncommon for students to arrive late to class or have to be excused early due to the goings-on of the prison. Codes are called, movement is stopped; prison priorities take precedence over education, especially when around safety. Of course they do, and I am glad for that. It is important for me to remember that I am a (humble) guest in the prison setting and that while my students' education is important, everyone's safety is the priority. By nature I am a keen observer, but once I pass through that last sally port and am inside the prison walls, my awareness kicks into overdrive. It has to. Conversely, at the end of the day when I pass through the last sally port and am outside the prison walls, I feel myself relax just a bit. An audible sigh leaves my body, and I can feel my shoulders ease. This is not at all a complaint; I have gratefully chosen this profession, and I will always understand how lucky I am to get to do the work I do. But learning and understanding a prison environment is critical. I am thankful for the officers who protect me, guide me, support me, and care about me. Their presence and dedication allow me to do what I do. They have taught me much and so have my students. I use these examples in my classroom; many discussions have organically taken place around the realty of our setting and how these concepts relate to life. Yes, my students are learning how to write a proper sentence, how to apply the scientific method, about our government. But they are also learning about life, both within the prison walls and also on the streets. (Some of my students have been incarcerated for 20 years or more. Life on the streets today is not as they knew it.) I am grateful to them for sharing with me their experiences, perspectives, fears, regrets, hopes, and dreams. This education that they graciously give me helps me to learn about life, helps me to be a better teacher and a better person.

I teach by watching. Many of my students do not know how to communicate their needs; they may not even be aware what their needs are. In a Corrections setting, often their needs are not a concern. Yes, their basic needs are met, but that definition is based on opinion and perspective. I choose to get to know my students and understand them as individuals. The Department of Corrections (DOC) assigns each inmate a unique number, and they are referred to by either this number or their last name. I call my students by their first names (or, if they prefer, an appropriate nickname), and I ask that they call me Nancy. Fun fact: in the prison culture, most students refer to their female teachers as Miss. Therefore, I am Miss Nancy; this is their way of showing respect. Keeping my mouth closed and eyes open allows me to learn each student, the room, the interactions (overt and covert). It allows me to keep a pulse on things which enhances safety but also enhances learning. We are all aware that DOC has installed cameras in the room and that our every move is recorded. But I am also looking for something different. I am looking for understanding, distress, frustration, confusion, fear, joy, laughter, tears; I am looking for them. To truly see the person is to reach them.

I teach by having fun. Throughout my many years in school, I have had some winners and some losers when it comes to teachers. The winners (in my mind) were those who made learning fun. In my classroom we tell stories, we play games, we interact and engage with each other. I do my best to apply learning to real life which adds value and creates connections. I try my darndest to make the content interesting and humor can do that. We laugh a lot in my classroom - at each other (good-naturedly) and especially at ourselves. I tell my students (and remind myself) that if we can't laugh at ourselves, life is going to be hard. I also try to instill in them the idea of what I term "humble confidence." To be confident but never forget yourself or others. I want my students to know that they are capable, they are good enough, they can do it, but stepping on others to get ahead is not the way. There is room for everyone; they are not competing with each other, only with themselves. I encourage them to walk into a room with their heads held high. But, if they happen to trip as they cross the threshold, by all means laugh.