Let's Get Real

I'm so angry - I don't know where to put it all. I'm trying to design a "lesson plan" for my students that will engage them and help them to want to persist in their education, and I begin to realize that they can't engage because they don't understand why it even matters - why anything beyond developing the skill-set that will get them the job (and the paycheck) they want even matters to their lives at all.

There's so much I want to say to them, but I'm inadequate. I can't just stand up in front of them and lecture (read: "preach"): I'm not smart enough; there's not enough time, and who the hell wants to be lectured at for two hours anyway?

How do I get across to them that the point of education - the real point - is learning to THINK!


The point is not learning algebraic equations which they may or may not ever use again in their lives; the point is certainly not learning to write "Comparison/Contrast" essays - which they would never write that way even if they were doing a comparison in an actual business situation. The point is to learn to think critically; the point is to learn to problem solve. How do I get across to students a mindset that has nothing to do with anything they've had to think about before, because no one has ever in their whole lives asked them to? How do I get them to understand that the wealthiest people in the country would not send their children to places like Harvard, Stanford, or Yale just to learn that a + b = c or that a thesis statement defines your essay topic, creating an arguable point.

One thing is certain - if I don't figure out the answer to this problem, it won't matter if I use a multi-genre process or just stand on my head and teach with my toes - if the students don't find the class relevant and understand why they should care, nothing I do will  matter.