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July 18, 2008 Mapping the Victim CurriculumBy Bob MyerNot surprisingly, around the end of the school year comes a chorus of cries all claiming unfairness. Poor grades, non-existent study habits, skipping class, sleeping in class, forgotten this and that, inability to follow even the simplest of directions -- "Not my fault!" All of these excuses are the result of being a victim, or to alter a term for use here, the intense study and practice of personal victimology. "Victim" is not, however, a natural state of being. It must be impressed upon a person. Traditionally, this has been done through the infliction of some real violence, some tangible crime upon a person. For example, if a person is burned in a house fire, that person becomes a burn victim. He bears the scars; there is no questioning his status as they are real and tangible. But the student afflicted with learned victimization bears none of these scars. Indeed, the student may not even be failing -- only doing more poorly than he feels he ought. And yet he has allowed himself to be convinced that his lack of achievement and lack of recognition are both a source for and a result of themselves. His self-defined achievements would be recognized if only those who judge him will look closely and in the right places. His scars are internal and therefore indefinable by all but himself, though many choose to support his cause. The internal scars he bears are not to be healed or overcome, but placated and catered to. He would achieve if his definition of achievement were recognized. He would succeed if he were only allowed to, if only his own individual proclivities were celebrated. Hence the "victim curriculum." The following three course titles could be the core of the curriculum. And though this is not necessarily a formal course of study, there can be no learned victimization without it. VIC-101: First Person Wants - The student will concentrate efforts to rhetorically transforming personal wants into fundamental personal needs. The student will demonstrate proficiency at shifting expressed needs as the mood of the moment dictates. VIC-102: Demands on the Second Person - The student will become adept at making "at the moment" demands on anyone he directly speaks to, but will concentrate on making demands of any "authority figure". The proficient student will be able to invert authority in a given situation as he sees fit through incessant demands. VIC-103: Blaming the Third Person - The learner will learn and practice the art of scapegoating; the student will become adept at shifting blame depending on his audience. These courses need not be taken in order, and no prerequisites are necessary. All that is needed is a desire to disavow (or give up, to use simpler words) personal responsibility. What's more, the curriculum is accessible to anyone of any age. It is, in that way, quite undiscriminating. And yet, I feel that I have perhaps made an error. A successful practitioner of victimology requires one thing beyond a drive to become a perpetual casualty; he requires a social construct with which to operate effectively within. This is why at the moment so many victims appear within the public school system -- it is fertile ground. That it is fertile ground is an unintended consequence. Over the course of time, primary accountability for student learning and development has shifted away from the student and onto the school. Accountability policies and practices have been implemented which make schools (and teachers) accountable for what is taught, what is presented in a learnable manner to students. This is a good thing in itself. But if a child does not choose to learn what he is supposed to learn, now it is assumed that the school is to blame. When public demand for equality of outcomes regardless of student effort is mixed with punitive measures for schools that "leave children behind", it is little wonder that the result is a victim-friendly environment for those who choose to indulge themselves. The focus really is not on what the student is learning, regardless of any fixation on test statistics. The focus is on what is being done "for the children". The resulting environment makes it all too easy for children to slip into seeing themselves as a victim. Indeed, there is fertile ground in most places where able-bodied and sound-minded people are allowed -- even encouraged -- to shirk their own personal responsibility so that they may profit from the work, pity, or good graces of others. Dealing with the unintended consequence -- the transfer of responsibility for learning -- seems to be the best way change the victim-friendly environment. The idea of equality of outcome must be abandoned. Teachers, schools, and districts must be responsible for giving students opportunities to learn. These opportunities should be many and varied and should attempt to entice all students to have a seat at the table. But all of that is just means. The end of education, variously stated as "a well-rounded person ready to exercise the responsibilities of citizenship," cannot be imposed upon the unwilling. As the adage goes, you can lead a horse to water - in fact you can drown the horse - but you cannot make the horse drink. The student must assume responsibility for his own success. Otherwise, he will leave himself behind - a victim indeed. Bob Myer blogs at mindofflapjack.blogspot.com/
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Comments
Dear Mr. Myers,
You missed the 1st act of this tragic litle play. Before any of that could happen, first parents had to be divested of any sense of competence or authority. The degradation of the school system started with the psychological mind game that parents cannot know what is best for their children because they were not trained psychologists or teachers. Their common sense and wisdom first had to be undermined before the public school system could work its "magic".
That has been successfully done for the most part and many parents have to eschew responsibility for their children's well being. With those nasty, abusive, bible thumping, gun owning parents out of the picture, children can now be indoctrinated to the socialist ideology.
The thing is that parents didn't realize this was happening until it was too late. I thought my children were being educated, not indoctrinated.
Here's a very sad fact. My youngest son attended school on the internet for grades 7, 8, 10 and 11. Each time he returned to the public school system, he started out ahead with very good grades, which dropped over the course of the year in the public schools. But here is the kicker, he only worked on his internet school work for about 1 to 2 hours a day.
So, 1 to 2 hours a day of independent internet study was more successful than 6 hours of study in a public school in actual academic learning. Think that thought through.
Best regards,
Gail
Posted by: Gail S | July 18, 2008 08:34 AM
This is so true! I taught in a few different school districts in the Houston area - one in the nice suburbs and one in the run down, poor suburbs. Now of course the nicer suburb district was raved about because of high test scores. The other poorer district did not have good test scores. But after teaching in both districts I can honestly say the poorer district was better. The teachers were outstanding and compassionate for their students. The professional development and support for teachers was phenomenol. The nicer suburb district did not have near as good prof development and the teachers were stuck up and snotty.
What was the difference though with the kids? Why weren't the test scores for the poorer district higher? Because - we could not make our kids learn. We could not fix all their problems and issues from home that seeped into our classrooms. The children and their parents attitude towards school greatly harmed the children's ability to learn. No teacher, no government agency can change that.
Parents and kids are just as responsible for their education as the schools and teachers. But this article is correct - the victim mentality destroys the ability of a child to learn. I saw it first hand at the school I taught in.
Posted by: Jennifer | July 18, 2008 09:00 AM
What to do?
-NCLB? The very title emphasizes the problem. It implies that the responsibility and the cure for ElHi education lies with the Government. Government can supply neither the personal responsibility for gaining an education nor the cure to assure that education. The student educates himself ... with incoming motivation and competent classroom teaching.
-We have relied upon the "professionals" to diagnose the problem and to design and apply the cure. These "professionals" are degreed primarily in education, sociology and psychology, and the higher the degree, the more the influence. The pressure for recognition and accolades from their peers is their motivation ... and that motivation always yields innovative "change" as opposed to "cure."
-One result of this is that Government now "uses" public ElHi education as a means for various extra curricular indoctrination. Responsible parents often resent this intrusion upon their prerogatives ... and seek to counter or avoid public education.
-Another result: We are learning that "self esteem" without self control is dangerous for our well being ... and detrimental to the process of education.
-As a result, we have corrupted an ElHi program which now strives to advance the 20% of our students of questionable motivation and ability at the expense of the ready and able 80% who may once have had the seeds of personal and parental motivation.
-Does the cure require more $$? Not until our classrooms are filled with 100% of students who are motivated to learn.
Posted by: EdB | July 18, 2008 10:11 AM
Bravo Bob! An incisive clinical diagnosis and brilliant commentary from the AT Peanut Gallery. As a recent retiree I have ample free time and a passion to learn. I am a confessed 'mouse potato' self educating via the amazing Internet. AT has provided edifying links. Wikipedia is almost infinite in its data.
I am picking up where I left off in 1968, when I was a delusional commie pinko SDS sympathizer. I grew up over the long years. Devoured REAL history books. Met cool people actually smarter than moi, shut up and listened to their experience.
I found a great quote from Freud when he advised a student..."Don't try and save people...they don't want be saved." People must somehow be inspired to save their own damn selves.
I tell twenty somethings that their meagre lives ain't over by a long shot...ANYTHING can happen at any given moment and most assuredly will. Be humbled and enlightened by something, no matter how insignicant, every day. I believe our lives here are truly on borrowed time and a privilege. When we face our creator we are obligated to give back this precious gift with interest. We are given a huge shapeless chunk of marble and must chisel our own 'David' or 'Bart Simpson'.
Posted by: Ranger Joe | July 18, 2008 12:09 PM
The schools don't need to train people in victimology. It is all around us, from the plaintiffs' lawyers to the politicians to the bureaucrats. Then there is the press. All have made victimhood something to celebrate. And why not? Being a victim is now worth big money.
Once people refused to be victimized. They wouldn't be held back by others who said bad things about them. Now they seek victimhood. Having a thin skin doesn't garner ridicule. You're not told to grow up. Instead, you're babied and you're promised big money will make your pain go away. Victimhood even gets you on television.
Victims of a natural disaster, such as a flood, are no longer victims of chance or of Mother Nature. They are now victims of a government that didn't properly plan their neighborhoods or a greedy builder who put their house too close to the river. Unlike Mother Nature, people who can be blamed will have to appear in court or pay damages.
Children learn from their parents. Their parents have bought into victimhood.
Posted by: pmk | July 18, 2008 12:46 PM