The classroom teacher can either inspire or destroy a child, and the younger children are, the more this is true. If you think back to your teachers, odds are, the great ones stand out as do the not-so-great. In my forthcoming book, Why Great Teaching Matters, you will read a no-holds-barred retelling of my childhood educational experience. As a life-long learner and an educator in the public school systems, I have seen it all. You will also learn why great teaching matters. Continue reading for more discourse, and purchase my book today!
WHY GREAT TEACHING MATTERS
The purpose of teaching and education is to prepare a child for life and not predict their success or failure. However, many teachers and school districts lose sight of this fact and instead cater to testing standards and making sure every child feels included, rather than if they are learning.
I believe that failure is the best teacher. Schools do not honor failure and do not teach young people to make mistakes. Instead, schools focus more on telling children to just make different mistakes and not the same ones again. Some of the most important lessons in school are the life lessons — the kind you can only learn from interacting with others and from trial and error. Yet, schools don’t encourage children to try new things, especially if it’s risky.
The reality is that school is only school. Outside of those four walls is life, and life is what teachers should be preparing their students for. Whether you get good grades, can master the Pythagorean theorem, or memorize the periodic table (which we all can look up) should not be emphasized. Instead, it should be replaced with real-life learning principles.
The idea of the need for a high school diploma is outdated and killing the progress of American schools. “Earning” a degree is nothing more than playing the game that schools set forth; that’s it. By turning in assignments, showing up for class (doesn’t matter if kids are awake or not), and by doing everything asked, students will pass. But what have they actually learned?
Teaching is an art, and learning is a science. Teachers should be teaching the art of learning using a proven process. Teachers know what does work and what doesn’t; yet, they do not apply what they know works in schools. Instead, they apply the things that allow them to control students and punish the non-conformist.
GET ANSWERS WITH HARVEY CHILES TODAY
In my new book, Why Great Teaching Matters, you’ll discover why I believe that the only way forward in education is through innovation and experimentation. If you study the great ancient Greek and Roman thinkers and philosophers, you’ll see this principle played out to wild success and ultimately to our modern lifestyle today. You’ll see my logic and hopefully come to agree with me. Together we can make big changes in school systems. Reach out today to book me as a speaker for your school today!
