If This Is DEFENSIVE Driving, Why am I OFFENDED?

This picture is from Defensive Driving, this year at Berea. In this photo at the left, students are filing into a big lecture-type classroom in the science building. I am not sure exactly how many students were there for the three different sessions of this class, but it was probably between 80 and 100 (far from the Berea class average).

I took the class as it was required for my labor position. While I went into it expecting to be bored, I came out of it with a much different reaction. During the "course", there were several video clips shown. Some were from the curriculum videos that share vocabulary terms and specific information about the class. Others, however were "Hollywood movies", ones that had some stretch connection to driving, but weren't officially affiliated. I think that the teacher intentionally chose some "cool" movies we may have seen to peak our interest, as it was a very tiresome class. That is all well and good, except that in both of the two "extra" movies, there was an unexpected nudity scene. Also, there was footage of graphic car wrecks in which cars and people were maimed and deformed. As a whole, the videos were pretty disturbing. Honestly, I didn't learn anything about the course from those clips. Instead, I feel like I was tricked into seeing the things I saw because there was no prior warning. Yes, we are all in college now and technically could see things like that (rated R movies), but I do not think it is wise of a teacher to assume that we all want to. Afterwards, a friend of mine and I went up to the teacher and told him how we felt, that the videos were potentially offensive, and asked him to maybe look into getting some different ones (or at least giving a heads up in advance) before he teaches the next class session. I'm not sure if he will or not but, at least I tried...

As a teacher, I want to use forms of media or technology that my students will be able to connect to. However, if one of those crosses a line of appropriateness, it immediately comes off my list.

I know that when I am a teacher, if I'm doing something that someone tells me is offensive, and I believe they are serious, I am going to try my darndest to change it. Even if it is an essential tenant of the class (which in this case it was NOT), I really will consider some sort of compromise, because I don't think that education should be offensive (with some exceptions, like learning about slavery or the treatment of Native Americans). That does not mean to say that it should not at some times be uncomfortable, because truth is a little painful, inconvenient, and leave you feeling uneasy. That's the point! In order to change the world, you need to be uncomfortable with how a part of it is functioning right now. Some of those uncomfortable truths really need to be learned. However, if there is something totally irrelevant I am doing, just for "fun", or personal gain, and it offends someone and I know about it, then no more.

I struggle with just sitting here and saying "this class sucked", when I know that it was a really hard place to be in. I feel for the teacher and frankly, who am I to say that if I were in his shoes, I could have remedied the situation? I'm not trying to say that. What I do know, is that he had no means of active learning. Instead, it was all lecture or videos. Even just some questions addressed to us every now and then, I think would have kept more people captivated. One thing that was good about this situation and teacher, is that he had a sense of humor. Even though his teaching techniques were not very active, he definitely spiced up the class by being down to earth, personable, and quite hilarious.

However, unfortunately... it was "so close yet so far"...I think his humor crossed a line. He would make very obscene, morbid jokes like "If there's a child in the middle of the road and you can't switch lanes without crashing into a car...square up and hit it", and another time when making a point about people in the back seats of cars flying through the windshield, he made a statement about "that 300 pound mama in the back". Also when describing accidents he has seen, his word choice was really interesting. Like instead of accepting the fragility of the fact that there was human life there once, he would use words like "squished" or "splat" and other words that implied a desensitization to death. I think his attitude had a very negative effect on the students in the class, who of course loved his humor, lived for his jokes, and laughed at practically every word he said. This gave him a recharge and the teacher would proceed to make more jokes. The teacher did not pause to think about how many people had lost loved ones in tragic, graphic car accidents that he was so harshly and bluntly describing. He was not very careful with what he said.

I want to remember as a teacher that I never know how my students relate to what I am saying. So before I tell about how I hate lawyers, I need to pause and consider that one of their parents may be a lawyer. Before I say food stamps are for poorer communities, I need to stop and think about the fact that some of them may use them. I have learned from this experience to be careful and think before I speak.

(<-- I wish someone had! )