It may not come as a surprise that I’ve always been rather chatty. The need to make pleasant conversation between classes and shout cheerful greetings across the dining center is as integral to my DNA as the color of my eyes and the lilt of my voice. I can hardly restrain myself from making quiet comments in class and my internal dialogue talks my own ears off daily. It may not come as a surprise that my teachers have never been fond of this habit. Always asked to quiet down and avoid unnecessary commentary, a cornerstone of my learning journey has been understanding that talking…a lot admittedly, can be a strength.
Shalaby’s text “Troublemakers” is a fascinating reflection of what we teach our children. We lecture to deaf ears about the importance of standing out and making a difference yet we enforce the rules and ensure that our children become followers rather than leaders. One of my art professors once taught me that you must first learn the rules to then break them. Shalaby, I believe, is dealing with a similar dilemma in her text. How can we expect our students to make waves if they exist within the school system in fear and misery? Shalaby offers the explanation that our troublemaking students, those who go against the grain, are teachers in their own right. They are trailblazers. They are the future of change.
Shalaby uses the metaphor of the canary in the cage to discuss students who act out. Shalaby states that like the canary, who died detecting CO2 emissions to protect miners, our stereotypically troublesome students are a reflection of our greater faults in the education system. For me personally, this claim resonates deeply. As mentioned, I tend to be a bit talkative. For most of elementary school, I was labeled a problem because of this. My teachers were constantly exacerbated by my inability to focus or keep quiet. I was written off as a “Chatty Kathy” and left to my own devices. I was never offered extra help or pulled aside to see where this constant distraction was coming from. I was finally diagnosed with ADHD in the middle of my fifth-grade year. With this information, an entire world of privilege opened up. Suddenly, I was bright and talented, with praised of my writing and my ability to speak publicly. Suddenly, my education was just as important as the other, neurotypical students.
Why do I tell you this story? Well, in the context of Shalaby and the other texts we’ve explored in class thus far, I think it’s crucial to note that troublemaking students are, more often than not, a reflection of the school’s faults. For me personally, I was a reflection on the poor quality of support for students with learning disabilities. Maybe because I was a young girl rather than a young boy, or maybe because my school did not provide educators with the proper training to detect and support my ADHD, I suffered as a result of my school’s system. Like Shalaby claims in her preface, I was a canary, alerting of poor support systems and a lack of understanding about my learning disability. I was fortunate enough to have an incredible fifth-grade teacher, who understood immediately that I needed extra support. I think what Shalaby is trying to claim in her text, is that as future educators, we should strive to develop our skills in detection and analysis. We should work to understand that students who speak out and “cause problems” are incredibly valuable and offer a perspective that other students may not. We should work to encourage the daydreamers, the chatterboxes, and the fidgeters. We should work to encourage.
Within this post, I’ve attached a hyperlink to a video essay on undiagnosed ADHD in women! I find the topic absolutely fascinating, and I love a good video essay, so I hope you all can enjoy it as well!!
To Share: Shalaby uses the metaphor of the canary in the cage to discuss students who act out. Shalaby states that like the canary, who died detecting CO2 emissions to protect miners, our stereotypically troublesome students are a reflection of our greater faults in the education system. What is a canary in a coal mine? How do we discuss “problematic students?” How can you personally connect to this text?
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