One recent Monday I turned in my teacher privileges for the pressures of a student. I carried a heavy bookbag, struggled through the halls and took notes in seven different classes. Why, you may wonder, would I want to be a high school student again? Well, I've heard so many complaints about stress at the high school that I initiated a project called "Teaching the Teacher", in order to walk a mile in my students' shoes.

The experience of shadowing a volunteer freshman through her hectic schedule was both eye-opening and bruising. It began early at my "teacher's" home, where I shared breakfast with her and her parents. We compared notes on high expectations and pressures in Lexington, a theme that resurfaced throughout the day.

Our schedule was as follows: Band, Honors Algebra II, Foundations of Art, Gym, second lunch, Level 1 Earth Science, World History and English. My students tell me that this is a relatively easy schedule, yet I had a headache by 2:25 pm. I am no longer used to changing gears between so many different topics in as many hours. I was reminded how challenging it can be to make mental as well as physical transitions between classes, especially towards the end of the day.

Highlights included actually understanding the lesson on polynomials (I have math phobia), relearning topics close to my heart such as plate tectonics and Joan of Arc, and best of all, being mistaken for a freshman by another student in gym class! The negatives were mostly on the physical side: eating too quickly during the brief lunch period, jostling through student herds between classes, and lugging that incredibly heavy backpack around.

Throughout the day I talked with students about their concerns, including cheating, cliques, MCAS, too much homework, too little passing time, too much competition. In contrast, I heard them praise high academic standards, consistent rules, enthusiastic teachers and the freedoms afforded here at LHS. I appreciated these frank discussions, in which students took risks to share their struggles with me.

It was also enlightening for me to observe my colleagues at work, since we tend to be so isolated from one another. Many of them had novel approaches to their material, including creating a CD cover based on the geology reading (I imagined a song entitled, "It's your fault, not mine") and watching a pseudo-newscast video of medieval events. I also noted that several teachers have told students to leave their books at home until needed, which seems a better idea than my "bring'em just in case" policy.

I couldn't help noticing how often French was mentioned. In Algebra the teacher discussed Descartes; in History, the Hundred Years' War, and in Science, the fossils of francophone Morocco. But we teachers rarely coordinate our test dates, much less our lesson themes. In reflecting on this communication gap, I had a brainstorm to place a large-scale calendar in my classroom on which students could record the dates of other subjects' major deadlines. I could then bear those dates in mind when planning my own assignments, in order to avoid the usual logjams of tests and projects occurring at the same time.

My "teacher" and I figured that she had received about 3 1/2 hours of homework for that night, all due the following day. She soon reported that it had taken her closer to five hours to complete her assignments, with a bedtime of 11pm. I was interested to note that her unleveled History assignment took as long to complete as her Honors Math problems. When I asked my volunteer if she found any assignment to be overkill or busywork, she said no, but added that readings are particularly time-consuming.

Homework was only one of a spectrum of challenges we encountered, some technical (like broken clocks), others logistical (such as finding privacy to change in the girls' locker room). The biggest problem was exactly that: the sheer size of the high school. It interferes with promptness, safety, and especially communication among teachers, administration and students. In closing, I would like to make some suggestions to help us relate better within our sprawling school.

To my colleagues, I offer tools that may improve students' morale as well as performance in the classroom. My students recently asked that I supply a "suggestion box" to encourage feedback, especially from shyer classmates. Quarterly evaluations in which students assess themselves as well as the class would serve the same purpose. Finally, the student-maintained calendar I mentioned above could help you to track the assignments of other classes alongside yours. I'm hoping that such strategies will help me stay in touch with other teachers while enlisting my students' help in making our class work well for all learners.

I encourage the administration to continue sponsoring "Teaching the Teacher" and other projects that foster student-parent-teacher relations. Perhaps our principal will approve the second half of my original plan, to have a student shadow a teacher for a day, and write it up in the Musket. Otherwise students may never realize how much effort goes into creating a productive learning environment. I also propose finding money in the budget to buy a second set of books, in order to reduce the dangerous weight of backpacks.

Students, I hope that my words will carry weight with you, because I am an LHS graduate as well as a teacher. I remember many of the challenges you experience every day, and I realize that peer pressure is even more intense now. But when I was attending your classes I felt such happiness just getting to learn about interesting ideas. Please don't lose sight of this privilege. When you can, set aside your anxiety about upcoming tests to enjoy the process of learning. And remember that long after your grades are forgotten, what will matter about your high school experience is what you made of the opportunities offered here.

My last words of advice are these: if you feel angry, scared, or overwhelmed, SPEAK UP. I don't mean just complain. Take charge. Make constructive suggestions to a teacher or counselor. Better yet, join Senate or class council and be a vocal force in changing the conditions that frustrate you the most. You know best what works for you and what doesn't. Tell us about it; we want to hear.  

Caitlin M. Smith, Spring 2001