I love it! Colanders!
And, it is one of the things that has always made me crazy about organizations--one size does not fit all. Ironically, it is often cheaper in the long run to look at things differently--unfortunately, it is difficult to convince many who are "in charge" that, that is the case.
When my son told me he was joining the military, I had only one request: that he join either the Air Force or the Coast Guard...because I was terrified that my outspoken, creative, artist child would be crushed by the military demand to "follow orders" no matter what. (I had worked for both the Air Force and the Navy, and had some interaction with the Marine Corps). I have been pleasantly surprised to see that the military--at least the Air Force-- has changed a lot since the 60s and 70s. His creativity and "look at it differently" has paid off big time! for him and he has been able to make quite a contribution, under some difficult circumstances. Now, he tells me he wants a job somewhere in Research and Development so that he can look at the way things are, and design a way to make them work better!
NoHall, I have not had to deal with the situations and the students you describe. I am sure that you handle them well and I do not mean to contradict what you say. Every case is different and obviously you are doing a good job.
That is not always the case though. I am doing a two week seminar with incoming college freshmen this week and next...starting tomorrow. One entire session is devoted to helping them feel comfortable asking questions of the instructor. So many do not understand something, yet they are afraid to question...and as a result, they end up completely lost.
Now, I have really veered off topic. Sorry. Maybe Kurt can move us to a new thread!
Yes, we have completely derailed--apologies again to Kurt, JDarg, and the rest.
The way I worded it at first did make it seem like I was squashing questions. Sometimes I'm sure I do in the panic of the moment---I teach band, chorus and drama, and the band especially has some pressure. We have parades monthly, inspections, ceremonies, etc. and sometimes the communication that comes down to me is not so great. As a result, I've had to teach the boys to obey without question and let ME take the heat if it's not right. We do discuss the procedure (as best as I know it) beforehand and debrief afterward.
I WANT them to think through how we will get from point A to point B ahead of time, and I want them to analyze how we can do it better next time. They have to write a short journal entry for me (writing across the curriculum!) each week about goals that they want to meet, that they've met, and the ones they did not meet. I even allow them to criticize my methods in those journals as long as they are constructive (they must offer an intelligent solution) and respectful.
I respond to the journals, but I don't think many of them read them. Even so, the journals have become an incredibly effective way for them to analyze, criticize, and think ahead.
That seminar sounds great. Communication is such an important thing to learn, and college freshmen have so much intimidation to overcome. Whether it's in the military or in the workplace, I still believe that if a student is mindful of others' perspective and shows courtesy and respect, he will be heard when he speaks up.
...and no one will want to paddle him!
(Just trying to tie back in to the original thread!)
