I've never set much store by positive thinking. At best, always looking on the bright side seems too Pollyannaish, and at worst, trying to pretend away harsh realities seems manipulative and dishonest. From my graduate school days, I recall the quip of a journalism professor: "In this country, only journalists are allowed to be negative." In that post-Watergate era, being critical was actually the hallmark of idealism and reform-mindedness.
Working with children so much, educators are professionally predisposed to be optimistic. After all, most teachers go into the profession to help members of the younger generation fulfill their hopes for the future. As with journalism, however, truly positive teaching is complicated and comes in different guises.
Take, for example, the late Professor Randy Pausch, whose iconic last lecture featured on YouTube is a testimony to positive thinking. Faced with a prognosis of death in his 40s, he pulls out all the stops to impart life lessons to his students. But the life lessons are cloaked in what he calls "head fakes." An amusing lecture that is ostensibly about fulfilling childhood dreams is really about the hard work of living your life. What is, on the surface, a lecture to college students studying technology is actually a legacy to his own children. In his teaching, Pausch also used "head fakes." Awed by his students' first "virtual world" projects, he told them, "These are good, but I know you can do much better."
Cindi Rigsbee, a middle school teacher, recalls in a Teacher Leaders Network column (2008) that when she began her career, every day was a battle. That was the year her mantra became, "If you make them the enemy, they win." She describes a more recent encounter with a 7th grader attempting to disrupt the class. Instead of responding harshly, she walked over to him, spoke calmly, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He grinned and went back to work. "Whatever it takes, build relationships," is her advice to teachers who struggle.
In Sweating the Small Stuff, David Whitman (2008) sketches portraits of successful inner-city schools taking a tough, even rigid, approach toward their students. Many of these schools unapologetically enforce a detailed code of conduct and have low tolerance for disorder. The attitude is paternalistic, and some of these school practices would seem old-fashioned, even disheartening, if that is all these schools offered. But these schools also follow through, make connections with students, tailor assistance for strugglers, and create a sense of community.
New teachers embarking on their first job invariably look forward to working with kids. Yet, they can quickly lose their positive attitudes when faced with difficult situations: kids who won't do homework, colleagues mired in the old ways, parents who defend the worst behavior of their offspring, policymakers who criticize schools, pressures to teach to tests, and an apparent lack of time to teach meaningfully.
In this issue, educators tell how they make negative situations positive and good situations better. They don't all do it in the same way. Some offer positive support for good behavior (p. 38); others adopt the stance of "a warm demander" (p. 54). Some concentrate on directly teaching positive behaviors (see, especially, p. 16). Still others teach students how to fight realities such as violence and bigotry (p. 44). Some "wage" peace in war-torn countries (p. 32). And our lead article celebrates joy, not to be confused with fun, although perhaps there is a place for fun, too (p. 8). All of our authors keep in mind the twin messages of teaching that should never be teased apart: "I care about you. And I care about your learning."
William Ayers, in an essay entitled "The Hope and Practice of Teaching" (2006), advises beginning teachers to reject the "Don't smile until Christmas" maxims of teaching andstart in a different place, with a faith that every child comes to you a whole and multidimensional being, much like yourself.... I want beginning teachers to... reject these cliches..., to stand on their own feet, and to make their way toward the moral heart of teaching at its best.
It is enough to restore your faith in positive thinking.
