The Human Spirit Wasn’t Made for Cookie Cutter Molds; Give it Scaffolds Instead
The mold is a product of capitalist thinking. It is about efficiency and consistency. Molds can certainly be useful, but scaffolds are superior when it comes to supporting the development of the human spirit.
Certainly, some teachers see themselves as “molding” students into “good” students. “Molding our youth,” is a cliche that I’ve heard teachers use throughout my life. While the desire to mold people into “good students,” is commendable at face value, we should all be asking the question, “what do we mean by a good student?” Do we mean a student whose spirit is contained within the edges of our society's cookie cutter mold for “good studentness”?
For the last 2 years, I have observed students being coded as “good” for being students who are compliant, quiet, unquestioning, “productive,” deferential, and displaying skills that are at or above grade-level. Who is this good for? It certainly makes it easier for the teacher. It also makes the teacher look better when they are observed by people who think a quiet, “orderly” classroom is one that fosters learning and development.
But what happens when the “good student’s,” spirit grows too large for the mold? What happens when the “good student” stops being compliant, quiet, unquestioning, “productive,” and deferential? What happens when they start to question authority; speak their truth; question the relevance of the work we assign them; and remind us that teachers also get confused and make mistakes?
Rather than putting up the scaffolds to support this development leap, I have watched too many teachers push down harder on the mold by using shame, guilt, withholding social interactions; detention; and other unsupportive behaviors that only serve to alienate the student by attacking their sense of autonomy, belonging, and competence.
Over-structured, over-supported, reward and punishment-managed classrooms smother the human spirit. They do not allow for people to express themselves authentically; to explore the natural inclinations of their own mind; to explore their own ways of thinking; to develop their ability to self-regulate; to learn how to collaborate and complete challenging tasks; or develop the intrinsic motivation needed to persevere through challenging tasks. They are the product of culture and tradition; not of research and evidence-based practices.
As a middle school teacher, I worry greatly about the harm inflicted upon students by holding them to expectations in a manner that isn’t autonomy supporting. I have observed the suffering that neurodivergent students experience as they try to conform to social molds whose sharp edges are those manifested in the practices of the traditional authoritarian classroom. I was once a student who outgrew the mold. I was once a student who had teachers push down so hard on my spirit that they almost broke it. I was blessed that some incredible teachers swooped in with their scaffolds to build me back up by affirming my autonomy, belonging, and competence, and helping me direct my energy towards growth, instead of competition. I hope that I can do the same for my students.
Please, for the sake of all children, let’s stop with the cookie cutter and let's switch to scaffolds. The human spirit cannot be constrained; it must be built up.
