How hard is teaching.

I like that you add to the discussion. Anytime anyone comments it show up. you'll learn that with more experience on this site. Thank you again for you time.

 

So, after more than 500 responses what have you learned?
Do teachers 'have what it takes'?
Are teachers 'properly trained'?
Can the above questions be answered simply yes or no?

And if not, how would you answer the following questions?
1. What does it take to be a productive teacher?
2. By what means can it be determined that a teacher has been 'properly trained'?

3. And last of all, have the more than 500 responses to your OP been helpful in answering your original questions or the ones I just asked?

 

Thanks for trying to moderate this site lol. How about sharing what you have learned and start from there.

 

You're welcome, but I'm wondering WHY would you begin a thread and refuse to participate in it?

To answer your question, I've learned nothing at all that wasn't common knowledge already.

So once again I'll ask you.

So, after more than 500 responses what have you learned?
Do teachers 'have what it takes'?
Are teachers 'properly trained'?
Can the above questions be answered simply yes or no?

And if not, how would you answer the following questions?
1. What does it take to be a productive teacher?
2. By what means can it be determined that a teacher has been 'properly trained'?

3. And last of all, have the more than 500 responses to your OP been helpful in answering your original questions or the ones I just asked?

Have you learned anything at all, or simply wasted both your and your respondents time?

 

The reason our kids come out of school so ignorant is just as much a function of the curriculum as it is the teachers.

While it is true that our teachers are often poorly trained and the faculty of Education is a joke, the curriculum they are forced to teach is also a joke and they often end up catering to the lowest common denominator which slows down the rest.

It amazes me that through 12 year of school we do not teach the "basics" of Philosophy (Logic, Logical fallacy, What constitutes a valid argument ). I asked "why" to one teacher and the response was "we do not teach this because we do not want kids arguing with teachers" ??????

Sure ... lets keep kids ignorant of how to think because they might question the teachers. What kind of mentality is this ?

12 years of school and we also manage not to teach kids the basic principles on which this nation was founded (Civics, Legitimacy of Authority, Individual rights and freedoms, social contract, classical liberalism, the constitution and so on)

The logic for this is probably similar - don't want people to have the ability to question the Gov't in an intelligent way - they might realize that both Red and Blue are essentially the same party (neither having the interests of the citizen in mind) an we might get real change.

 

It's not about 'thinking' it doesn't interfere...it's a fact it doesn't interfere.

Lots of things are useless today in some people's minds but since I still use it, and prefer it over printing, and millions other American adults use it, it certainly cannot be categorized as useless?

Yeah...5-6-7 year olds learning keyboards...let me guess...you think the hunt and peck typing is okay versus 10-finger typing? And, BTW, it's not too efficient to expect kids to understand a keyboard before they understand the alphabet, spelling, and grammar.

I suppose all school topics can be taught at home so just eliminate public schools...

 

That teacher was quite correct. Teachers have to be people who get up in front of a room full of kids and say "I am more knowledgeable than you, so sit down and shut the hell up!". This is an appeal to authority, which is an informal fallacy. It is pure sophistry, and I'm sure more than a few teachers are well aware that what they are trying to do has Socrates doing cartwheels in his grave. The problem is that they don't have time to argue with their students.

Teacher: If Bob has ten dollars and he gives Jane five dollars, how many dollars does Bob have left?
Student: Is one dollar the same as another dollar?
Teacher: Yes.
Student: Can we divide dollar into separate components to obtain something that isn't dollar?
Teacher: Yes, one dollar can be divided into one hundred cents.
Student: Do numbers exist?
Teacher: No, numbers themselves do not exist.
Student: So bob has nothing.
Teacher: What do you mean?
Student: We've established that dollars can be divided up into cents, so one dollar is the same as one hundred cents. This would make cents an uncountable noun giving us 'cent' rather than cents. Further, since numbers do not exist, then Bob has nothing because you cannot have something that does not exist.
Teacher: Can you have love for your parents?
Student: Of course no! I can feel love for my parents, but I cannot have love for my parents. Can you have an invisible friend?
Teacher: Yes, I guess.
Student: Can have a million invisible dollars?
Teacher: I guess so, sure.
Student: But do I really have a million dollars?
Teacher: No.
Student: So to answer your question, Bob has nothing.

It's pragmatic.

You want the government to teach children why they should bow down to the legitimate authority of the state? Why not teach them about the bill of rights. The next thing you know, you'll have armed kids marching through the halls throwing f bombs at the teachers, and the teachers would have to explain that the bill of rights does not apply to students because it would make teaching them impossible.

 

Teachers speak up and share your side!

 

I think you might want to bow out of the conversation, because honestly, it seems like you're just trolling. You have no ideas of your own.

 

Well I'm not a teacher but I think the difference in success and not succeeding for children are the parents. The hours and hours I've spent with my kids reading in the younger years and still making suggestions and motivation for homework and projects... it's exhausting. Some people don't have that sort of time.

In a similar fashion I could not credit only teachers for my kids performance, I cannot hold teachers and only teachers responsible for the failure of children who receive no support. It's such a disadvantage for a child who is left on his own as opposed to one who has a parent who models, inspires motivates and teach.

 

If anything you are trolling. i started the thread. And there are plenty of posts i have shared in this thread. You just have to go back and read them. You can feel free to share if you want.

 

There are plenty of posts you've made in this thread, but it's just asking for teachers to comment.

Let me ask you this. What exactly are you looking for now from the few teachers who have already posted? Is there something you still don't quite get about how hard teaching is? I count 54 pages, and I can't remember you posting anything except asking teachers to continue to post.

Fill us in on what you have learned so far, and what still remains unanswered.

 

You have to read the entire thread. There are plenty of post I made. Until then don't troll. Thank you.

 

Third attempt
So, after more than 500 responses what have you learned?
Do teachers 'have what it takes'?
Are teachers 'properly trained'?
Can the above questions be answered simply yes or no?

And if not, how would you answer the following questions?
1. What does it take to be a productive teacher?
2. By what means can it be determined that a teacher has been 'properly trained'?

3. And last of all, have the more than 500 responses to your OP been helpful in answering your original questions or the ones I just asked?

 

Thanks for your opinion (that we should not teach kids now to think or about the principles on which this nation was founded), I just do not share it

I went to a very good school and was lucky enough to have a couple of good teachers inspired questioning rather than some authoritarian "just obey" mantra.

These were the best classes and the students were engaged for once.

I did not say the part in Bold .. The rest is abject nonsense.

 

Fair enough. You can, thanks to your enlightened education, take the part of the teacher and explain why the student is incorrect.

Mario and Luigi engage students. The question still remains what you have learned.

 

Go to a public school meeting once , ask permission to go into a school for the day or week.
Then get back to us.
You have no idea what happens in a classroom more than you do in the decision making rooms of corporate american businesses.

 

Once again, it seems you don't understand the comment. If that is all you have, how many posts are made by a contributor your validity is in question.
Thanks for playing.!

 

Teacher should speak up. If they have something to say. Say it.

 

Not sure about you but I spent 12 years in "the classroom" What a moronic statement.

Spare me your apology for keeping children ignorant of critical thinking skills and the basic principles on which this nation was founded.

 

I've written many times that since we know for a fact that a huge percentage of today's students will not get ample involvement from their parents, that we cannot design a public education system that depends on parental involvement.

I've also repeatedly stated that we should not have an education system that requires home work away from the school.

If we truly wish to provide an equitable education to all kids today, IMO this must be accomplished SOLELY during the school hours...

 

I'm open to ideas ito how to design a system that will replace parental support.

My daughter is in a small primary school, they are highly regarded for turning out excellent readers. They are now trying to extend this to other areas of learning, by using an assessment system that identifies gaps in students learning.
A student may know more advanced information but there could be something basic he does not know for several reasons (away sick, not being able to pay attention etc etc)

By using small but focussed tests, they have been able to identify students lagging and have been very successful in bringing these students back up to speed. They also ask parents with students in the school who have time available, to come in and help students across the board. So parents who have time to invest in their own children also come in and help children who are behind.

I believe you can't help students if you don't know what they don't know, students are too diverse for a teacher to know this information off the top of his head and therefore the only way to identify students falling behind, is informal small tests frequently and on a deeply focussed scale. Teachers are also overworked and so outside help is required (parents or more teachers)

 

Tossing out hyperboles doesn't help your point; I'm supposed to take these comments seriously? Yeah, as if I said we shouldn't teach anything in school . You can't even make actual counterarguments at this point; you're just making strawmen.

Sorry I don't understand your ridiculous need to hold on to cursive as a major part of our education system, and seeing as you've already pointed out that some public schools do teach cursive, and I'm not sure why you're acting like it isn't being taught.

Districts decide for themselves what's most important to teach within their own district. We don't need some mandate handed down from the feds demanding cursive, or whatever idea you may be advocating for. There ought to be some level of autonomy for every district. Some districts teach cursive; some don't. If cursive is important for you, make sure you move to and enroll your kids in a district that teaches cursive. My district actually does teach cursive, in the elementary schools, along with keyboarding, because, despite your lack on insight into what children can understand and when, it is efficient to teach the alphabet and keyboarding at the same time. Just because maybe you aren't smart enough for such lesson plans doesn't mean the average child isn't smart enough, too.

I love when people who don't even have a concept of early childhood development come along to tell teachers about early childhood development. Maybe if they spent more time with their children, they'd have a better understanding of it.