Foundations of Rhetoric

I'm a junior at JMU who has been pretty successful thus far in my college career. You can safely assume that I read well and am also fairly apt at reading for comprehension. With that being said, I could hardly get through this chapter. I picked it up and put it down at least 5 times, having read a few pages but having gotten too bored to possibly go on. I kept hoping that it would get better, but it didn't. I did read the whole thing, but about 10% of it actually "stuck" because it wasn't presented in a way that made me understand. SO ... I'm not really going to talk about the same "main ideas" Williams did in this chapter. Honestly, I couldn't care less about these people due to the way the information was presented. I admit that knowing the background of the things you are teaching is important, and I know that this information will probably be useful one day ... but really, Williams?! REALLY? It didn't even seem like HE was interested.

Reading this chapter made me think about how terrible it is to have a teacher who couldn't care less about you or your interests. As a partially college-educated person, I understand that meaning and knowledge can be gleaned from just about anything if you look for it. However, I also understand that finding that meaning is far easier, not to mention far more enjoyable, if someone makes it relevant. Answer the question children are perpetually asking: "WHY?" It's probably safe to assume that the people in this WRTC 340 class are more academically motivated than your average American, so maybe Williams thought that motivation was enough. Well, it isn't. When presented with boring, over-my-head, who cares information, I revert right back to my whiney 6-year-old self, begging anyone who will listen to make it stop.

Children are completely egocentric. This is developmentally factual. So, when a teacher presents them with material, it must be related DIRECTLY to them. Otherwise, they won't understand it and will not be able to successfully, independently apply that information. While teens and adults are not as developmentally egocentric as children, I think they're still pretty darn self-centered. So, why not help them apply what is being taught to their own lives? If the material being presented is SO important that it must be taught, there should be some pretty obvious implications to everyday life. Even in high school. Even in college. I would even daresay that it's true in the workplace. Someone wants you to know this specific information for a reason, so why not enlighten the learner?! Tell the learner why, and they'll learn better. They will internalize the reason and hopefully become intrinsically motivated to learn. The need for gold stars and snacks as prizes will lessen because students will understand WHY. They will understand that they will personally use this information in the years to come, that they'll thank their teachers later. Teachers have some amount of power over student's apathy. Don't allow them to be apathetic ... show them why it is important.

Now, I'm not saying that answering the "why" question will solve all behavior problems and make under-achievers straight A students. But if answering one question will help children find meaning or score higher or simply be spared the absolute, undeniable, make-me-want-to-cry boredom that I just experienced, why not?!