How the Challenge of Teaching Led Me to Sir Alec Guinness
01.16.2007
8:38 pm
I've got this kid. Tony. He's, I don't know, nine or ten I guess. I have him in one of my Tuesday Thursday afternoon classes. He's an interesting kid. Yeah. Had trouble with teachers in the past, I hear. They can't handle him. I can understand that.
He's a clown. Sort of. The kids think he's funny alright. I don't get it. But he's not the class clown you might be thinking of. He's not stupid, he's not a joke. He doesn't make the others laugh so they will accept him. And they don't laugh because they think he's funny. They laugh because they admire him. He is not a jester. He is the despot. And they love him. His jokes, they challenge me. They toe the line without crossing. They assert that the classroom is his, not mine. And the others follow his lead. Imitate his voice. Meek children challenge me, when otherwise they would dare not.
Trouble is. Best part is. He's smart. He's probably the smartest kid in the class. And he knows it. But that's not his role either. He's not the smart-kid. Art is the smart kid. He says the answers first. Finishes his workbook first. He's an easy kid for a teacher to like. Tony. He's not like that at all. His smarts are only a tool. So can stay ahead of the others.
How do you teach a kid like that?
I keep thinking of The Bridge on the River Kwai; of Sir Alec Guinness and the Japanese general. Leadership is merely a matter of perception. It is gifted by the followers. And they can remove it. In the movie. Alec Guinness is a British general held captive in a Japanese POW camp. The Japanese general tries to break him, but he resists and continues to lead his troops even in captivity. To the end the troops only obey his commands.
Tony is strong. He's strong minded. I can challenge him. I can punish him. But could I punish him enough? I could strip Tony of his power. Lead the other kids to my side. Punish all equally for Tony's crimes. Would they turn on him?
Or I could take a risk. Reveal softness. And try to turn Tony. You know, try to build that bridge together.
