159431~Who’s right in Day of Silence dispute? —A seven-page
document released by the Gilroy Unified School District makes it
clear that officials believe they cannot demand that teachers
teach.
This unsigned article is built on a false premise. Why can’t a teacher teach without speaking? Good teachers employ a plethora of teaching strategies and an effective instructor will change his or her strategies frequently so that students do not become bored. Most credentialed teachers I’ve talked to recently teach a lesson without speaking from time to time.
For example, we recently had a three day weekend at my school. The students were predictably rowdy that Friday. Consequently I prepared a lesson in which all instructions were on overhead transparencies and I spoon fed them the lesson without speaking to them. The result of that lesson is that it calmed them down and refocused them. Also, the objective of that lesson was met. I had them do a questionnaire on the way out the door and they indeed learned what I had hoped they would.
On the Day of Silence four teachers reportedly did not speak during their lesson. So what? There are a dozen different ways to teach a lesson without speaking.
My professional opinion – as a fully credentialed teacher – is that it is journalistically irresponsible to continue saying that the Day of Silence inhibited teaching. Those four teachers were simply employing a different teaching strategy, and many teachers do that from time to time!
While the general public of Gilroy certainly has a right to its opinion and to voice that opinion. It is merely that, an opinion. Opinions don’t have to be right or wrong, they’re opinions.
For those of us who’ve gone through teacher training programs in the last few years, there is simply nothing pedagogically wrong with teaching one lesson without speaking.
Doctors specialize in medicine, lawyers specialize in law, and teachers specialize in teaching. An open letter was pubished in this paper by professional, credentialed teachers who thought that participating in the day of silence was appropriate. Enough said.
