Cavalier Rejections
At this link, I heard some educational philosophy I like. The speaker was Ethan Young, a high school student from Knox County, TN. He was speaking very recently to a local school board in opposition to Common Core, the national program that replaces "No Child Left Behind." Several quotes:
". . .we teach to free minds. We teach to inspire. We teach to equip . . . "
"If everything I learn in high school is a measurable objective, I have not learned anything.”
“ . . . education is unlike every other bureaucratic institute in our government” because the “task of teaching is never quantifiable.”
I'm using these quotes as the impetus for writing about the electives our school offers that students often don't enroll in--because the courses are too much work or because the students are not interested, or because they already know that or because they are too busy with other things. While I'm certainly glad that not everyone wants to enroll in all the classes I teach, I feel sad sometimes that learning opportunities seem to be rejected so cavalierly--not only in my classes. What we teachers all would really would like is a group of students who are eager to take advantage of the learning opportunities offered to them.
With reference to the above quotes, my intent as a teacher is to free minds, to inspire, and to equip. None of this can happen between teacher and student if students are not present.
I loathe the notion that getting an education means plowing through paces as fast as possible. True, completing paces are measurable objectives. They're listed incrementally every day on the goal charts, but if, at the end of the process, that's all there is, has the student learned anything of value?
If a course is shunned because the credits earned are fractions of a whole, and thus limited in quantity, does that mean that what is gained is of limited value? The result is often not quantifiable, just as the task of teaching is not quantifiable.
I have one son who, early in life, had "No" as the default response to most of my suggestions for venturing into new learning territory. I soon learned to ignore the default response and proceed as if the response had been more agreeable. Almost always, it didn't take long for the child to profit from and even enjoy the learning opportunities I shoved him into, under protest. I wonder sometimes if other parents have never had such an experience to bolster their resolve and initiative.
Today that child is grown, does not shrink from new challenges, and he has an impressive array of skills in his repertoire. He is also getting a taste of his own medicine with a toddler who is fond of the "No" response at this stage of life.
I do know that one can never take advantage of all the learning opportunities that are available, and choices are necessary. I applaud parents who weigh the options thoughtfully, with an eye on the long-term results, and, perhaps, with a deaf ear to the short-term protests and a shove in the direction of a learning opportunity.
". . .we teach to free minds. We teach to inspire. We teach to equip . . . "
"If everything I learn in high school is a measurable objective, I have not learned anything.”
“ . . . education is unlike every other bureaucratic institute in our government” because the “task of teaching is never quantifiable.”
I'm using these quotes as the impetus for writing about the electives our school offers that students often don't enroll in--because the courses are too much work or because the students are not interested, or because they already know that or because they are too busy with other things. While I'm certainly glad that not everyone wants to enroll in all the classes I teach, I feel sad sometimes that learning opportunities seem to be rejected so cavalierly--not only in my classes. What we teachers all would really would like is a group of students who are eager to take advantage of the learning opportunities offered to them.
With reference to the above quotes, my intent as a teacher is to free minds, to inspire, and to equip. None of this can happen between teacher and student if students are not present.
I loathe the notion that getting an education means plowing through paces as fast as possible. True, completing paces are measurable objectives. They're listed incrementally every day on the goal charts, but if, at the end of the process, that's all there is, has the student learned anything of value?
If a course is shunned because the credits earned are fractions of a whole, and thus limited in quantity, does that mean that what is gained is of limited value? The result is often not quantifiable, just as the task of teaching is not quantifiable.
I have one son who, early in life, had "No" as the default response to most of my suggestions for venturing into new learning territory. I soon learned to ignore the default response and proceed as if the response had been more agreeable. Almost always, it didn't take long for the child to profit from and even enjoy the learning opportunities I shoved him into, under protest. I wonder sometimes if other parents have never had such an experience to bolster their resolve and initiative.
Today that child is grown, does not shrink from new challenges, and he has an impressive array of skills in his repertoire. He is also getting a taste of his own medicine with a toddler who is fond of the "No" response at this stage of life.
I do know that one can never take advantage of all the learning opportunities that are available, and choices are necessary. I applaud parents who weigh the options thoughtfully, with an eye on the long-term results, and, perhaps, with a deaf ear to the short-term protests and a shove in the direction of a learning opportunity.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
8:33 PM
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