To Prevent Bad Teaching

By the time any college student is ready graduate they are likely to have encountered a professor who has a glaring reputation of going through the motions. Assignments are ready made, lectures full of teacher talk, and enthusiasm disingenuous. Likely, this professor has been doing their job much longer, with out variation, for much too long. This can be true for any profession or trade. Life becomes very mundane on any assembly line and the most critical of jobs becomes habitual to the point of disinterest. To combat the boredom of their employees, any good supervisor knows that things need to be “shaken up.” What can be done to keep teachers giving their students the best education possible?

To reach the status of a tenured educator a more than mediocre record must be established. They have proven themselves in the eyes of the school and their peers and have gained knowledge of the profession that can only be obtained with years of experience. Is this a free pass to give less than quality work when obtained? Of course not, and I do not believe that is the intention of the individual who falls into the custom of cookie cutter lessons. Would a switch of grade levels, scheduled sabbaticals, quality control observations annually, or a two- year position in the administration help to keep the experienced educator motivated? Anything to change the status quo would be beneficial. A tenured teacher should be looked upon with the respect their time in service deserves. To gain this, they must work in a system that allows them to keep the passion for the trade.

Articles:

Progress Slow to Fire Bad Teachers*

A Vote to Fire All Teachers at a Failing High School

Hero Teacher Tackles Gunman in Suspected in Colo. Shooting

Thirst for Knowledge

What I am most interested in is the future of teaching.  This includes the technologies that will be available, the methods in which they are implemented, and the availability of these methods for all.  But this is not my concern.  My concern if for those who are going to be in charge of all of this 21st century education, particularly those directly in the classroom.  The ideal teacher, I believe, does not go through a training course, learn the technology, and simply pass it along.  The ideal teacher is one that has a greater thirst for knowledge than the students themselves.

Often I hear in a college classroom, and many times from my own mouth, “how can this relate to us and what we are supposed to be learning?”  There seems to be a feeling that only certain things will apply to ‘your’ classroom.  Teaching, however, is wonderful in that every piece of knowledge or experience has some place in ‘your’ classroom.  The experience gained from just one year in the classroom will be invaluable to the teacher’s future students.  But please do not forget that the experiences outside the classroom will be just as beneficial to future students.  In today’s multicultural setting, only having knowledge of ones own community limits the understanding given to a child of an alternate background.  Alternately, if a student only has access to their own small community, what better medium to show that student the world than through their teacher’s experiences?

I am not yet to teach in my own classroom, nor do I believe I am completely ready to do so.  But until the time I get my own, and beyond, I search for knowledge and experiences to positively affect what it will become.

“When I walk with two companions both would be my teachers: I would choose their good traits and follow them, and would try to correct in myself the faults I see in them.”

Articles

Tomorrow’s Teacher, Tomorrow’s School Video*

Tips to being a good student of teaching.*

Clinton: Internet ‘information curtain’ is dropping this article is a short breakdown of a live conference held on January 21st. Transcript from speech

Google-China showdown may alter tech game. But probably not.

Internet Freedom in the House article overview on “Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009″ (Read the Bill here)