Reflections: How Children Learn

 

 

     I have been thinking about all the negative tweets coming from the President lately. Perhaps it isn't worth thinking about, but I wonder where it will all end. If ever. I wonder if he intentionally engages in his negative tweets to deflect attention away from the other investigations about him. I wonder if he purposely and calculatingly is trying to destroy the press as we know it. I wonder if he is just plain addicted to tweeting, can't stop himself and his tweets are a reflection of his personality and everyday way of life. There is plenty to examine. Exactly what an effective teacher would wish for when teaching children effective critical thinking skills. An experienced teacher could help children examine the President's tweets from many different angles and consider the tweets 'a teachable moment'.

 

     One perspective that might have children engaging in question after question when reading these tweets might be from the rules most schools are required to have regarding harassment. Many schools have policies regarding the kind of behavior expected in schools. The rules regarding harassment apply to everyone in the schools: students, school staff, and even extends to contractual workers when performing any kind of work for the schools while on school property.  I would offer that these rules would apply to the President if he were to visit any of these schools. There is even strong debate about schools' responsibility of enforcing behavior expectations during non-school hours, off the physical location of school property when students use school issued laptop computers.

 

     Let's consider a hierarchical definition of harassment. It is the rubric that the Brunswick School Department uses to help students and others understand behaviors that are unwanted and might be considered harassment. The rubric consists of 3 levels: Level A offers examples of behaviors that might be considered harassment: dirty looks, 'annoying behavior toward others'. These  behaviors call for common courtesy to just stop if you are engaging in purposely unprovoked annoying behavior that others dislike and they can't just leave the area to avoid the person annoying them. Key words: common courtesy.  Level B offers examples of behaviors that most people would consider general harassment: "teasing, name calling, spreading rumors, posturing, socially excluding others, threatening". These behaviors demand intervention and consequences in order to maintain an environment where students can learn, teachers can teach. Level C offers examples of behaviors that would very likely be legally harassment: "stealing, offensive physical contact, negative comments toward another person because of their race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation".  I would add 'gender' to the rubric's Level C behavior - it is a legally protected status in our state and nation. These behaviors are examples of behavior that violate the law and invite law enforcement involvement in addition to the school administrative consequences.

 

     How would you evaluate the President's tweets? Are they aimed at specific people? Do they fall into any of the above categories that our nation's schools are required to prevent students and staff from engaging in?

 

     I am glad to see some of our lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, publically offering their views of the President's tweets. Children are learning from this....but just what are they learning?