http://www.newsweek.com/id/163455
Due to being knew to the world of education, I am always trying to find different perspectives on what it truly means to be a teacher. More importantly, I see so many people in general that just "go through the motions" in their daily lives, in and out of their careers. As a teacher, you just don't have that luxury because I think it's extremely visible for all to see how well you teach. The results are fairly black and white. My wife teaches in public school and she is constantly telling me of stories about teachers who either do the bare minimum or get involved in the first place because they think it's not a whole lot of work. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I think people should strive for efficiency in anything they do in life. Saying that you should spend x amount of hours somewhere as a guideline serves no purpose in my view. If you can get something done in a more efficient fashion than someone else, you shouldn't be penalized for someone's inability to perform. My point is you should strive ultimately tho be the best you can be at anything you do, but just because you are logging hours, doesn't necessarily mean that you are a better teacher than someone else who spends less time.
Far too often, people lump time commitment with competency, and it's just not that simple.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Thank you for bringing different views into this blog discussion.
As always, an excellent post!
Point well taken Todd. We have some super teachers in my building, They're in at 8:00 and leave at 3:00. Using an absorbent amount of time doesn't determine or promote efficiency and excellence. It's about how and what you do with your time that counts. As mentioned in the article about ipods, if using the ipod device enhances learning and brings new perspectives to your students (creating a more efficient way to engage and motivate learning), use it!
Be the best you can be and do whatever it takes. Exercising a commitment to your students, applying your knowledge and experiences, and using innovative strategies to guide your students learning path will promote success for the teacher as well as the student. Aim high! As it has been said, "Your attitude determines your altitude".
Todd--I completely agree with you on your points made about teachers and time. From student teaching and having three years experience in the classroom, I have noticed a few teachers in some ways bragging about the time that they spend in school. It feels almost like they need to express to others the amount of time that they put in to grading, lesson planning, etc. It is sad almost in some ways that a small percentage of teachers need to make others feel that they are not putting in enough time and effort as they are...when in reality, most teachers do put in the necessary time, they just do not feel the need to tell everyone the amount of time that they do put in. Great article.
Post a Comment