Re: The school game
Eric Crump (wleric@SHOWME.MISSOURI.EDU)
Tue, 13 Aug 1996 08:49:45 -0500
Yeah, Richard, we're not so far apart, but I'm still ok with thwarting. I
think that's the position we (as perpetrators of the system) put students
in. They do it in all sorts of ways (the first third of Holt's book
covers ((almost said 'about' but I know Steve would have had to whack me
for that!)) strategies students use to survive school, not learn,
survive). Some of their strategies are not apparent to us, or we write
them off as laziness or perversity. Holt concludes that students are
chronically anxious and most of their 'thwarting' behaviors are desperate
attempts to escape the stress we put them under. And all we do is say,
well, life's stressful. Get used to it. That's not an adequate response.
It's avoidance on our part. That response is the analog to the student
who says, "Is this good enough? can I just get my grade please?"
--Eric Crump