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Articles: Devotion | The 'I can't' funeral
- Prof. venkata ramanamurty mallajosyula
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Donna's fourth grade classroom looked no different from the many others that I had seen in the past. Students sat in five rows of six desks each. The teacher's desk was in front and faced the students. The bulletin board featured the students’ work. In most respects it appeared to be a traditional elementary classroom. Yet something seemed different that day when I entered the classroom for the first time. There seemed to be an undercurrent of excitement.
Donna was a veteran small-town Michigan school teacher only two years away from retirement. In addition she was a volunteer participant in a countrywide staff development project that I had organized and facilitated. The training focused on language arts ideas that would empower students to feel good about themselves and help them take charge of their lives. Donna's job was to attend training sessions and implement the concepts being presented. And my job was to make such classroom visitations and encourage implementation.
I took an empty seat in the back of the room and watched. All the students were working on a task, filling a sheet of notebook paper with thoughts and ideas. The ten-year-old student next to me was filling her page with 'I Can'ts'.
'I can't kick the soccer ball past second base.' 'I can't do long division with more than three numerals.' 'I can't get Debbie to like me.' Her page was half full and she showed no signs of letting up. She worked on with determination and persistence.
I walked down the row glancing in student's papers. Everyone was writing sentences, describing things they couldn't do. 'I can't do ten push-ups.' 'I can't hit one over the left hand fence.' 'I can't eat only one cookie.'
By this time the activity engaged my curiosity, so I decided to check with the teacher to see what was going on. As I approached her, I noticed that she too was busy writing. I felt it best not to interrupt. 'I can't get John's mother to come for a teacher conference.' 'I can't get my daughter to put gas in the car.' 'I can't get Alan to use words instead of fists.'
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