The Poor Scholar's Soliloquy

The Poor Scholar's Soliloquy is a reminder that all children do not learn the same way. It's also a reminder that student's aren't necessarily goingt to be as excited or see the relevance of a topic the same way as a teacher will. As educators, it is important to keep this in mind so we strive to reach students with different ability levels and style of learning.

My first thought was Stephen is quite intelligent and that there is nothing wrong with his intellectual abilities. The real problem was Stephen's teachers and their inflexible teaching styles. Stephen is part of a dynamic where the teacher is all and the students are just expected to absorb what is being told to them instead of researching information for themsleves or being more actively involved in the learning process. An example of Stephen's intelligence was his ability to navigate the trip to Chicago and figure out exactly how much money was made on the trip. His family knew how to spark his interest in learning by first, having him do the work and then by relating the importance of what he was doing to "real life."

His teachers were oblivious to how quickly Stephen could look up information or find what he needed in an index and instead focused on "traditional" methods of rote repetition. Perhaps instead of having Stephen just memorize names, the teacher could have told Stephen to look up the seventh, 14th and 23rd Presidents. Maybe he would have been more engaged if he had been given a task instead of just being bombarded with facts and stats.

Stephen’s teachers are also failing to relate the importance or usefulness of what he is being taught in school. He wants to be a good citizen, but doesn’t see how knowing all the Presidents makes him a good citizen. Perhaps just the simple explanation that a good citizen is aware of all the past leaders would be enough to ignite a fire under him and learn about the 30 Presidents.

The saddest part of the reading was Stephen not being able to wait until he was 15 and could drop out of school so he could start learning how to do stuff. That statement should be the nightmare of every teacher. Though he may not have realized exactly what he said, Stephen has let every teacher he has had know that they have failed him. I hope his teachers read this and were shamed into sleepless nights…