It’s not that teaching doesn’t work.
It’s what’s being taught what’s way off.
A bad teacher teaches you knowledge.
A good teacher teaches you passion.
A great teacher teaches you curiosity.
It’s exactly great teachers what we are lacking, so please don’t hold yourself from being one.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I was just talking about this with colleagues in the lunch room on Friday. I went thru high school veritably unscathed…I was one of those annoying AP kids who would just bang out an essay of complete BS the night before or study for a test in study hall before the exam and I still managed to graduate with a 99.6 (yep, out of 100.)
My favorite teacher, however, was one during my senior year who taught an elective class called Human Nature and Philosophy and gave me my only grade below a B+ in my whole K-12 career (actually, I got a C in penmanship once in 3rd grade.) I think one of the biggest problems for teachers is that they teach classes that are required for EVERYONE, and thus they have to make the material available to all academic and interest levels, and thus “dumb down” some of the curriculum and requirements. Since this class was an elective, the teacher could push you beyond because finally, at the age of 17, I was able to make a decision about my own schooling.
PS – before anyone decides to hate me, college (where you have to actually try and put in effort) was MUCH different experience for me.
Choosing is quite an obstacle for many people…
By the way, what a nerd! Don’t worry, I was one too
Were you a nerd too?
I think we are taking control of the blogosphere!
I´m just curious, which grades did you finish your high school with?
Not so brilliant, Primary School was my only nerdy stage grades-wise. I started questioning education after that, so I just focused on passing and not being bothered.
Love the video, thanks for sharing it! Those are the teachers I want to see teaching our children — and the teacher that, once upon a time, I desired to be…The ones who offer you a chance to love learning for yourself, to question the way the world works in order to better understand it, to question how you live your own life in a dare to change it for the better.
I don’t know if you’ve heard of Reading Rainbow, Carlos, but it was a television program I grew up on. Much like Sesame Street, RR taught children to love reading through igniting passion and curiosity for and through a world of words. A few years ago, according to an NPR article, that was changed to teach children *how* to read, focusing instead on the basics of literacy rather than encouraging a love of reading — which may very well be a driving force behind literacy itself. What I’m so disappointed by is the fact that, as a lover of learning, so much may be lost. Without passion, there’s no love of the subject; without curiosity, there’s no desire to do or learn more.
I think it’s these two, especially, combined, that create the most effectual and memorable learning experiences.
That need that society has to teach “how to’s” is very harmful indeed. As if there’s only one way. I’m not saying guidance is wrong. but it should never be over passion and curiosity.
I did know Sesame Street, but I’m unfamiliar with RR. If that’s the way they are going now, then I’m glad. Thanks for your powerful comment Susan.
I love it! — I get so frustrated in class sometimes and ponder why education is so out dated, but I always stumble across those great professors that make you think and that are up-to-date. Those are the classes I enjoy most and I wish their was more of those. Your call to action is awesome! “It’s exactly great teachers what we are lacking, so please don’t hold yourself from being one.” — Amen brother!
Hola Carlos! Espero no estes depre con los resultados actuales de la albiceleste
Thank you so much for sharing these words with us. Curiosity is our driven force and it is quite hard to find people that will “spark” it within our early lives. As well as our great teachers that you mention, it is also important the environment in which we are raised as the professor in the video put it (that be our family). I remember my father always sharing his young experiences with us and let us taste a bit of that “small town” culture where he was from (we are city boys). He knew the more we actually put ourselves to diverse experiences, open our minds and question things, the more we actually live. It is very important how we raise our kids and it is also a challenge to a sustainable life as well. After all, evolution comes from live experiences. Its a waste to live a life and die miserably by keeping it all to ourselves. Parents are not always teachers but great teachers can be like parents to some of us and I have been lucky enough to find myself some of them.
Next time try having a beer with this teachers…its amazing what you will discover.
Keep the sparks coming,
J.
Ja! No mucho, ya me resigné con la selección!
I really enjoyed your comment Julián, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Gracias por comentar, me encantaría verte seguido por aquí!
PS: Cómo encontraste mi blog?
No tan resignado como estoy con la mia (Colombia)
I´ll try to comment more…seriously, I wish I have more extra-hours a day to read all the good posts and elaborate some thoughts around them, but once you find an interesting blog and decide to follow that writer on twitter, you find yourself following all of you and get bombarded with bunches of information (ya te habrás dado cuenta que una de esas bombas me llevó a tu blog).
Please Julián, I’m the last person who’ll demand more comments from people. forced comments usually suck, I’d much rather have you as a reader and comment only when you have valuable to say
Sí, comparto el problema de soberinformación que hay en Twitter, es por eso que yo trato de mantener la cantidad de la gente que sigo en números bajos.
Hey no lo tomes a mal. I did not mean bombs in a bad way. The over excess of info its often too good to let pass by and as I say I am driven by curiosity (or sometimes give the benefit of the doubt) which is why I say “extra hours a day”. Some great discoveries have been made like that. I think in respect to someone like yourself who shares your thoughts one should take the time to comment (and reflect innerwise) when something valuable can be said.
No, no lo tomé a mal! Todo bien Julián
Agreed there , great to have you here man.
damn
this is on point……
listen i am currently teaching some employees now and when you talk straight knowledge and facts, they get bored.
when i get into it, act, do roleplay, make them laugh, show them i really care about the information i am sharing they get into it more than i.
lol
teachers share passion.