Sometimes it is a demand from a student, not a request or a questioq that fmces the teachr to think about her most fundamental purposes and make controverisal decisions that she hops will bent# that student

You’ve Got to Tell Me What’s Right Sharon E. Sutton

Several years ago I was teaching architectural design to a class of first- year students. Design is taught in a studio in which the students work while the teacher (known as the critic) visits each desk commenting on the progress of the work This particular class was quite large The average student was about twenty-four years old, and many of the students had other degrees or work experience.

From the very beginning one student stood out He was quite thin and palelooking with watery and strained eyes. His face was tense. When I sat next to him, I would see that his fingernails were dirty and that there were cuts on his hands. Perhaps he did some sort of hard labor. Maybe he should be in night school- he looked pretty worn

The first time I sat down at his desk, he neatly spread out about five different approaches to the problem. I was pleased to see so much work. I went over each approach saying what was good and bad and how it might be developed in a more exciting way. I complimented him on his multiple approach, but I could see toward the end of the session that he was not so pleased. I thought it best to leave him alone to work things out I left feeling puzzled by this strange creature.

Every class this student continued to bring in an incredible number of solutions and approaches to the problem. I proceeded to

13

out

W. Manin(Ed.). N n v D i n r r * u ~ T ~ u d L r r n i q : N m P a r p b i o u ~ TiuhiagndLPnby, 110.7. S.n Pranciaco: J c a y B a u , September 1981

14

evaluate all of them, while he proceeded to become increasingly disturbed. I began to sense outright anger.

Soon there was a major review of the assignment This student presented an elaboration of one of his many ideas. I no longer remember his solution, but I do remember that it was not outstandingly good In my typical fashion, I therefore continued to point out what was good and what was bad and to say how it could all be improved. By this time I could definitely feel anger seething from this student

When I arrived at the next class session, I noticed that he had taken a seat in the rear of the classroom, which, as I said, was quite overcrowded. He had also moved the last two rows of desks close to the wall so that he was virtually barricaded in the rear of the room. Because I was giving out a new assignment, everyone else was gathered in the front of the room.

The rest of the class discussed the next assignment while this student remained immobile, looking at his desk. When everyone else started to work, two choices ran through my mind- reach out to him or ignore him? Reach out to him. I climbed over the desks and demanded to know what was going on Out blurted, “This is my only chance I’ve got to do good. You’ve got to tell me what‘s right Every week I show you my ideas, and you never say what‘s right I don’t have time to mess around with ‘maybe this could be. . . .’ I can’t afford to mess up.” A rather heated discussion followed in which I tried to explain the difference between ideas and answers, and he tried to explain his urgency to succeed At some point it occurred to me that “succeed” only meant passing to him. With the rest of the class listening in disbelief; I thumped my index finger on the desk and said, “Today, right now, I am giving you your grade for the semester. That grade is to be an “A” Now I want you to begin to learn to think. Are you ready to start.?”

I suppose such an impulse could have led to disaster. In a ldss mature classroom or with a less serious student, all discipline could have been lost I was not sure about the class as a whole, but the remembrance of this boy with bloody hands and tired eyes repeatedly showing me so many different solutions made me take a chance And he was worth that chance. After that screaming match- and we were screaming- this student soon became the most outstanding class participant Not only did his own work show struggIe and improvement, but he openly participated in other students’ work, an essential part of learning the design process.

What was most gratifying for me was the realization that, although I had challenged this student to learn to think, he alreadyhad a

15

highly developed and unique thought process that was being inhibited by the fear of failure. Once he was relieved of the symbol of failure, the grade, he began to explore his thoughts, to take chances on his ideas, to change directions, and to be truly creative.

Sharon E Sutton is an architect and teaches at t h Graduate School and University Center, City University qf New York