Learning about Not-Learning

On Friday I start advising two First LEGO League Robotics teams in Newark.

When I was a kid, LEGOs did not have robotics. Now they have global competitions.

Since this will be my first time building NXT LEGO robots, I decided I should practice. So on Wednesday I went to the Vision Education offices to build an example off blueprint.

Luckily, Laura Allen, the founder and CEO was kind enough to briefly sit down with me and ask how things are going. She relieved me by telling me that in all her years in education, that GreenFab is one of the toughest environments to teach in. Phew, I'm not the only one that finds this hard!

I told her that I might have a problem keeping the attention of a few of the students.

She had the perfect response: "I've got some books you should read."

We went upstairs and I had to stand on a chair to reach a slim paperback with a blue spine. "Start with this one:"

"I won't learn from you", And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment"
By Herbert Kohl

I thanked her and read the back cover as I walked down the stairs. A collection of classic essays in education theory by Herbert Kohl (not the senator from Wisconsin).

Raised in the Bronx in the 40s and 50s, Herbert and his parents were non-religious Jews. As a boy he was a fake gangster who moonlighted as an intellectual. He knew when he was 12 that he would be a teacher. Bronx Science to Harvard to Columbia. He sure did fulfill his childhood goal. He's taught every grade from Kindergarten through college! One of the best educators of our time...and an amazing writer.

In the title essay, "I won't learn from you", he introduces a phenomenon that I had never recognized: Not-learning.

Apparently, people consciously and purposefully try to not-learn certain things.

First, he describes the grandfather of one of his fifth-grade students. This man chooses to not-learn English so that his grandson will be forced to know Spanish. Sympathetically, he fears if his grandson does not speak Spanish, they will not know each other in the future.

Kohl comes right out and admits that he too has been a language non-learner.

Herbert Kohl's grandparents only spoke Yiddish. All the adults in his community only spoke Yiddish. But he refused to learn the language. At Hebrew School he managed to only memorize the sounds of the words, not the meanings. I love the story about how he got caught. But I won't spoil it for you who might read the book.

Next he tells about a confident and cocky repeat first grader. Yes, young Barry was held back...in first grade. Luckily, he fell into the class of Mr Kohl.

This kid would not-learn reading. Herbert's brilliant solution was to empower Barry by pretending that Barry was reading really well. Herbert started pretending that it was all a big joke that Barry could not read. In fact, he insisted to the class that Barry was an excellent reader. But the whole time, Herbert would tell Barry what to say, and Barry would repeat while looking at the page. Barry began to enjoy this little game. He was tricked into learning to read. As Herbert says:

I offered him the possibility of entering into a teaching-learning relationship with me without forcing him to give up any of his status, and fortunately he accepted the gift.

Next, Herbert Kohl presents Rick, a boy would will not-learn Algebra. He writes about all the crazy tricks he devised and the ways that Rick avoided learning the subject.

It was at this point in the essay when I got hit hard with brain wave of self realization. I actually got dizzy:

I am an expert not-learner!

I'll admit that I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it. But perhaps it's not just me and Barry and Rick and Herbert.

Ever since I can remember, I would not-learn homework. Some might argue that homework is not a subject. But we can leave that argument for the comments.

My childhood memories are playing in woods, sewers and creeks. Homework could not compete with these afternoon activities. And in the evening, there were television programs that I had to watch!

I've always prided myself in my ability to avoid completing simple assignments. I've justified it by reminding myself, "at least I always test well."

In grade school I learned really well how to not-learn homework.

My worst scheme was pulled a few times in third grade. I'd wait until the end of the class before Math and then pretend my stomach hurt. I'd get sent to the nurse before my furious Math teacher even saw me in the hallway. I'd sit on the floor in the bathroom and pretend to vomit until I heard the bell ring. The nice thing was, it also provided an excuse not to do the next days assignment!

One time I must have been feigning nausea so loudly that I missed the final school bell. My babysitter had to come pick me up.

But this was well worth it to avoid the verbal and emotional lashing that I would have received from Mrs. Iforgetyourname.

My problem, especially with Maths, was that it was so boring to me. I could do their stupid assignments in a few minutes easy, so why even do them. Why not just copy the answer sheet or someone else's answers. I decided it was a waste of my time to do some walkthrough exercise.

Also, the madder my teachers got, the more kicks I got out of not doing the work. I enjoyed my power to stir them up.

As I got older, my skills at not-learning homework got better and better. It did not catch up with me until 9th grade, which I wound up repeating. My habit and ability to not-learn my homework almost kept me from graduating. I'm lucky I even got into college. It was the test scores.

It wasn't until after my first try at college that I came to embrace homework. I started to value education. Luckily for me, homework was was easy to learn. But there are lots of other things that I still not-learn.

I really hope that I can reach out to some of the students that I've identified as not-learning. I also hope I can stop doing that myself.

I started the book last night and Herbert Kohl's advice already helped me in class today. His recommendation to be a "hope-monger", one who peddles hope, seemed to be right on.

I started this morning's class by asking each student what they wanted to be when they grew up. If they did not know, they had to tell me where in the world they would live given the chance.

This simple exercise seemed to bring me a bit closer to all the kids. I genuinely care about these kids and I absolutely have hope, I just hope I can trick them into buying what I'm selling.