On Teaching: "Rhythm in the Classrom"

Surrounded as I am by the rhythmic forces of the universe, it’s surprising to me that I have never given much thought to the role of rhythm in teaching and learning. If we define rhythm as a regularly repeated variation in intensity or magnitude, it’s clear that I live in a rhythmic universe. In music, quiet sounds alternate with loud ones; in nature, light alternates with dark, cold alternates with warmth; in my body, my heart does a one-two rhythm of soft beats and hard ones. Sitting at the beach, I hear the endless pulsation of the surf: some moments of quiet, then a crash of waves, then more silence, then another crash. Rhythm is the way the universe works – negative/positive, negative/positive, negative/positive – and I wonder if I might be more attentive to it in my classroom. For instance, expecting my students to be alert and attentive for the entire 48 minutes of class is perhaps as silly as expecting the waves to constantly crash, or the sounds of a good song to be continuously loud. Perhaps I need to have more “pulsation” in my classes, more alternation between intensity and relaxation, between work and fun. My heart moves in a soft/hard rhythm, and maybe my students would be better students if I allowed them to do so also. I have emphasized efficiency in my teaching – getting work done as quickly as possible – but perhaps I need to remember that nature works most efficiently by alternating rest and work in equal amounts. My body works hard to take in a breath, but then relaxes and rests by letting it out: work/rest, work/rest, work/rest. If nature knows that this is the most competent way to be productive, why haven’t I realized that in my teaching? Why do I keep my students intensely focused on the task for 48 minutes, as if a beautiful symphony consists of instruments blaring their loudest, with no pause whatsoever, from start to finish? Maybe I need a little more rhythm in my room – an easy, on-off beat like a cool jazz piece, or like the regular pulsations of my students’ hearts.