On Teaching: "Suitability in the Classroom"

Lately I’ve been thinking about how important “suitability” is in a classroom – and indeed, in all of life. For any activity to happen smoothly, be it the circulation of the stars or the movement of an ant’s legs, everything has to fit perfectly together, or be in its right place. Every part has to “suit” every other part. If even the smallest part is unsuitable, or improper, for the situation, then the expected activity will not occur, or will occur in an awkward, inefficient manner. For instance, in a living organism, illness is caused by unsuitability, or, we might say, impropriety. Something in the organism is not “proper” – not in the correct position, or not behaving in the correct manner. When this happens, the entire organism is thrown into confusion, and may eventually be destroyed. In a significant way, the same is true for a classroom, which is a kind of organism in its own right. An atmosphere of suitability and propriety (“decorum” would be another way to express it) is extremely important if the classroom is going to function in its most competent manner. There’s a proper way to sit so as to show respect to each other; there’s a proper word for each and every place in an essay; and there’s a proper way to write an essay worthy of the name (as in “a proper essay, not just a collection of random words”). If every educational piece is precisely where it should be in a classroom, then the puzzle will come together and be complete. If not, the pieces will remain scattered and only bad taste and disorder will reign.