Concordia in the Classroom: Part 2

By Karen Travis:

I first experienced the power that a love for learning can provide at the age of 14 when my 8th grade English teacher assigned a poetry memorization. The poem, “If” by Rudyard Kipling, was enormously long, and I had previously memorized nothing except The Lord’s Prayer. I was mortified with fear at the daunting task. But then, Mrs. Kirby read the poem. As she read each line, she made eye contact with a different student in the room. Some few days before she introduced this assignment, Mrs. Kirby had rescued me from a hallway fight in which I was being attacked by two girls who had decided I was the person they didn’t like this week. As she broke up the fight, I began to cry, telling her, “I don’t know what I did. Why don’t they like me?”

My middle-school heart wanted to be loved by everyone. As Mrs. Kirby made eye contact with me, she read the line “And being hated, don’t give way to hating.” She remembered my fight. She remembered my heartbreak. She knew, in that moment, that what I needed was to know that she understood how I felt. But she showed me so much more. Not only did she know how I felt, but so did the author of the poem. He understood the temptation of bitterness and unforgiveness, and he warned his young readers to not fall to it.

I don’t know if Mrs. Kirby chose that poem because she knew I needed it, or if it was just the poem she had all 8th grade students memorize. I don’t know if she chose who she would make eye contact with based on their challenges from the past few weeks. But, I do know the poem was not just an English assignment for her, it was her hope and expectation for us as students. And the lesson was a success. For the first time, I remember wanting to reach the goal someone had set for me. I wanted to be the person she was hoping I would become. I remember consciously deciding I was not going to become an angry, bitter person. I was going to love people.

That moment plays a pivotal role in my life. I memorized the poem and performed it in front of the class. I went on to form a love for literature, a love for writing, but most of all, a love for inspiring students. Four years later, when I was trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, this one moment stood out. I wanted to spend my life doing exactly what Mrs. Kirby did that day. I wanted to teach students through every means I could find how to be good human beings and how to love one another. I didn’t have the word for it at the time, but what I wanted was to teach in concordia.

After 27 years of teaching in various settings, I believe that one of the most powerful tools we have is our opportunity to form concordia style relationships with the students in our room. Some environments are more suited to this than others, but I have found at least some success in each educational setting to foster the following ideas:

1. Mutual Respect: : Learning mutual respect is an important task for anyone who seeks to live in concordia with others, not just between students and teachers. It is necessary early in a school year to diligently craft situations that will allow students to gain respect for you as a teacher. There is a saying among veteran teachers that you need to start the year strict and serious, and then you can back off later. There is a nugget of truth here, but unfortunately, many young teachers take this idea in the wrong way. This does not mean we are supposed to be angry, hurtful, and authoritarian. But it does mean we must be prepared, knowledgeable, and purposeful in our teaching. Set high standards for classwork and procedures, but know that students do not have to fear you in order to respect you. My 8th grade English teacher wasn’t angry or mean; she simply refused to accept academic work that was not my best. The secret ingredient to creating concordia based on mutual respect, however, is to simultaneously craft situations in which you are able to show respect to your students as individuals and as human beings. I recognize that this requires so much energy, but it will make all the difference in your ability to establish a harmonious classroom. Focus on recognizing your students’ strengths, struggles, and contributions. Give immediate and constant feedback. Make sure students who do have struggles have felt heard and encouraged.

2. A Delight for Exploring Ideas: Of course, the best way to foster delight in others is to be delighted by the material you are teaching yourself. Work on becoming a true lifelong learner. In situations where you are able, spend time teaching the things you enjoy. Be the kind of teacher that is constantly learning something new. My students always became more fascinated with a topic if we were exploring that topic together. Also, don’t be afraid to rest with an idea for a while. I have a mentor who, when asked a thought-provoking question, will say “I don’t know, let's sit with that idea for a while.” Then she will let the group contribute their thoughts and clarify their understanding through discussion. It creates a delight for students and teachers alike when understanding and enlightenment come through mutual discussion.

3. Mentorship: Focus on mentor relationships rather than friendships. A friendship assumes the two people involved are happy with each other where they are in life. A mentor relationship recognizes a potential in the mentee and a commitment to that potential from the mentor. It is a working relationship. As a mentor, you need to be able to see not just the potential in your students, but the faults and struggles that prevent them from reaching that potential. A mentoring relationship takes patience and attention. Not every student who crosses your path will become a mentee to you. Even if you are homeschooling your own children, you may not be able to mentor each one. But it is vital for every student to have a mentor. Surround your children with adults who are worthy mentors, and then help them find someone who brings out the best in them. If you are in a school environment, try using a house system to help foster these types of relationships.

4. A “Listen First” Environment: Concordia classrooms are spaces for attentive listening. Of course, this may mean times of your students attentively listening as you present new materials and ideas. But it also means creating an environment in which students listen closely to one another during discussions. It also means listening to the author of the text you are reading and being willing to hear what they say before inserting an opinion or perspective. Listen first environments do not mean there will not be disagreement or multiple perspectives, but it does create an understanding of respect. Even if you don’t agree with what the student is saying, listen first. Hear them out. Then, approach the conversation in a way that acknowledges their perspective, but also shines light onto an unperceived truth or missed context. Students will never trust you if they don’t believe you are truly listening to them.

5. Flexibility with Lesson Plan: Learning does not take place until students have made the material their own. This means we have to let them handle the material. And this can be messy. Students who are wrestling with an idea might take a few wrong turns. It is important in idea-focused classes (like literature, history, Bible, etc.) that we work with students as they muddle through some things—and we have to be organic with that. I’ve found class discussions, small group conversations, and other forms of free expression are absolutely essential to meaningful learning experiences. Understand that these conversations may not flow along your developed lesson plan or itinerary. That’s okay. Before discussion classes, take note of the big-picture ideas and concepts you want your students to explore, and try to guide the conversation toward those while preserving space for student discovery.

6. High Expectations: As true teachers and mentors, we have to set high expectations for our students. But, we must also be willing to hold our students’ hands and walk with them into those expectations. As teachers, we should truly walk alongside our students. And, they should also desire to walk beside us. Get to know them as individuals. This doesn’t mean in a general, social media kind of way. Yes, you might know their favorite band or movies, but more importantly, you should know them well enough to set expectations that are reasonable for them to achieve with your guidance. See what they are good at and what they are passionate about. Ask how they see the world and how they hope to change it. Then, you will be able to truly mentor them as they seek to meet and exceed your expectations for them.

I hope that you can create concordia within your spaces as you try to foster each of these ideas in the classroom. Also be sure to know that the process of fostering is a continual, often slow labor. There may be times when you feel extraordinarily successful and other times when you feel like a failure. Commit to these practices, and you will find your concordia growing and strengthening throughout the school year. My hope is that you can be the kind of teacher that creates pivotal moments in your students’ lives.