I don't WANT to just be a teacher and shove facts and information down my students' throats for them to memorize and then immediately forget. Education is LEARNING, not memorization. I want my students to obtain knowledge that will be useful in everyday life IN ADDITION TO educating them about past events and history. Education should not be limited to just textbook material and busy work. I plan to become a more tangible, hands-on educator where I can relate content and criteria to the subject matter in a way in which my students will not only be able to understand, but also enjoy. Children are more likely to learn if it is something they are interested in, can relate to, or simply be involved in. Teaching and reading out of a textbook is not Education and if you are unable to tell the difference between being a teacher and an a educator, then you are probably in the wrong field to begin with! :)
Don't let them take pencils home was very interesting to read because the teacher, unsurprisingly, got caught up in the "the only thing that matters in schools is standardized test scores" mentality. It is really sad if you sit back and think about just how many educators are out there that have this very narrow, closed-minded way of thinking when it comes to Education. Measuring and assessing student learning and knowledge can be done in multiple other ways than just standardized test scores! That's not the ONLY thing that matters in our school systems; or should I say "SHOULDN'T be"? Not to mention, since when has Hangman become a "sick and twisted game"?! Using your mind, creativity, and imagination to form and practice the spelling of words...sick and twisted wouldn't exactly be a way in which I would categorize this game? At the end of the day, educators become way to caught up on test scores that, unfortunately, their views on teaching in general become clouded and they miss out on what really counts and that is EDUCATING the students and making sure they UNDERSTAND and can APPLY subject matter when necessary rather than what their grades will be on the next test.
Ashton, I really enjoyed reading your post, it had many great points and I loved reading your enthusiasm and strive to become a great educator. Our school systems need more educators like yourself, who are willing to go the extra mile to make sure your students get the right education they deserve and need. Young students these days just need the right motivation and guidance to succeed in this new method of learning. Test scores are important but they should not be our main priority. We as future teachers need to make sure we do not fall into this category. And like you said we need to work on measuring and assessing student learning and knowledge rather than just a score on a standardized test. Keep up the great work, I look forward to continue reading your blogs.
ReplyDeleteI think you ub=nderstand the difference between teach and educate as used in the video.
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Did you understand that Johnson's (Spencer's) commentary was an extended metaphor or allegory in which pencils were computers? It doesn't seem to me that you correctly interpreted what was written metaphorically.
You need to include links to the videos/blogposts. And you need to include pictures!
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