It's Critical in the Classroom - April 2023

Greetings all!

Today I want to address my student readers especially. I’ll keep it brief because I know all y’all have short attention spans.  

You’ve probably noticed that I am big on students embracing the historical thinking approach to their studies – emphasizing the art of thinking critically. Well guess what, this applies to teachers as well. That’s right kiddos, you should all hold teachers to the same high standards as they hold you! Which means, you can ask the tough questions. If a teacher tells you something that seems odd, off, not quite right, or just perplexing, you can ask them to explain. You can ask them to provide evidence for their conclusions, and you can ask them to account for evidence contrary to their conclusions. If a teacher really pushes back against dialogue, dismisses your earnest questions, or discourages the free exchange of ideas in the classroom – then they are not doing their job.  

Look friends, any teacher worth their salt should be open to this sort of thing. Hell – I encourage it. And you know what, sometimes my students check me on sloppy thinking. More than once this year alone, a student has convinced me to think about something in a different way because of sound reasoning on their part. So good for them and good for you if you have high expectations in the classroom. Your teacher expects you to think critically, I think the expectation should be mutual. Go get ‘em! 

With compliments,

Keith