Reading Reflection 1 - Rethinking High School

The first concept that really caught my attention in Chapter 1 of Rethinking High Schools is the idea that “change in high schools seems to unfold in geologic time” (20). I completely agree with the authors’ statement – “we could really use an earthquake” (20). I find this to be true not just in the structure and logistics of high schools as a whole, but even in specifics like content area. Far too many high school English curriculums require that students read the same books year after year without ever considering the possibility that there might be something new out there for our students to read. My students are reading the same books that I read in high school, which are the same books that my parents read in high school.

None of this is to say that I don’t appreciate classic literature, because I do. I just think that we need to start infusing our literary curriculum with some modern perspective. Our students should be exposed to a variety of literature ranging from the classics to modern, contemporary pieces and everything in between. Such changes take time. Too much time, if you ask me. Although I don’t believe we should make rash, uninformed decisions about such important topics, I do believe that educators need to start making these changes happen for our kids now, both collectively and individually.

While I do believe students should have the opportunity to delve deeply into what they are studying and truly examine and investigate topics and issues, I don’t know that I agree with the books’ idea of having students “study a few essential areas deeply” (16). This reform suggestions’ biggest flaw is its lack of specificity. It is vague and general. It leaves quite a bit of room for interpretation, and – what I fear more – misinterpretation. Most importantly, I worry about the potential outcomes of the power struggle that this reform might incite. Who will decide what is “essential”? Who will decide which “few essential areas” our students will study? Will all students study the same “few essential areas”? These are serious questions that would have to be answered definitively before this reform could be put into practice if it were to have a chance of succeeding.

Many of the overall concepts covered in this chapter (as it is an overview chapter) fall under the Second to None component of “Restructuring the School.” Although I’m sure there are other components represented in this chapter, this component fits the bill best. All of the suggestions and concepts shared in Chapter 1 of Rethinking High School require some sort of restructuring (or structuring if it’s a brand new school), whether it be how the school is designed logistically or even physically. In order to reform our high schools, we must restructure them.

I would really like to take a closer look at the Coalition of Essential Schools’ principle that “Students should be constructing meaning rather than being filled up with information” (16). I had a great conversation with one of my cooperating teachers for this semester the other day about this exact idea. I told her that I want to teach our students how to think, how to write, how to communicate. Let’s spend our time teaching our kids how to think for themselves instead of wasting their time teaching them facts and information that they can look up on Google. I would like to learn more about how to do this. What does this look like in a classroom? How do we provide our students with the tools and skills they need to be truly independent thinkers?