A response to Maureen Taylor’s “How to bring the magic back into the classroom”

My boyfriend took me to Disneyland for my birthday. It was a great day. I couldn’t help but remember a recent post my colleague wrote about how magical a place Disneyland is, and how sad it is that teachers don’t strive to put some of that happiness into the classroom. I looked about me and realized that the park was packed with lots and lots of people. With so many people in the park, we probably spent more time waiting in line to ride the various Disneyland attractions then in the actual rides. But we didn’t seem to mind. There were so many noisy obnoxious kids and the sun was hitting our eyes; the tiring wait should have been enough to drive us crazy, but we didn’t seem to mind the wait because we knew that once we reached the end of the line, the ride would have been worth it, even if it were short lived. I feel like education is like that, there are some of us who have the will to endure the least desirable parts of education, and because we convince ourselves to hold on, we are then able to enjoy the benefits of our perseverance. But why isn’t it like that for everyone? What are we doing as teachers that make students say, “this isn’t worth pursuing,” or “this is something that I am willing to give effort and time to.” Better yet, what is a place like Disneyland doing that makes people want to endure the least desirable conditions ever in order to enjoy a short lived adventure? For starters, they offer rides that are both thrilling and safe, rides that can be enjoyed by many people regardless of age, religion, or language. The atmosphere is thrilling to the eyes, the smells are inviting, and one knows that everything in the park has been created in detail for them to enjoy. If a high school English teacher like myself for example, were to create an inviting atmosphere for a teenager, we should probably keep in mind that the majority of teenagers  don’t like school and should try to make the classroom look as much as a hang-out as possible. Perhaps add a couch, lots of cut-out magazine collages around the room ,posters of famous writers and poets (as a young girl might have of her favorite pop-star), and maybe play a little music in the background as they write on their journal (or assignments). And I know there are so many bad reviews about showing too many videos and movies to students, but what if every other Friday students were to present videos they have made themselves? If the world is changing towards a more technological one, why can’t they have a way to present their observations of the world to their peers through a movie day? And yes, there should be popcorn! Why should the classroom stay traditional when it is clearly not working? I feel like the real magic of Disneyland is that people are waiting around in line for so long because they know that when they are enjoying the ride, it is their experience and no one else’s. No one can take that moment away. No one is telling them how to enjoy it, what to look at, or what part of the ride is important to remember. Their experience is theirs alone and they leave a little better because of it. They know they are in good hands, safe hands, and they know that they will be different on their way out of the park. It is the happiest place on earth because no test or agenda determined the success of the day, but rather the meaningfulness of the experience, which is something they strive to recreate outside of Disneyland. That is what education should be like.