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Point #5, allowing teachers with actual experience rather than lifelong academia is critical. Tenured academics who have never faced scrutiny on actual performance over their time in service need to face real competition.
Thank you for composing and posting your article.
Bookmarked also.
When the student is ready the teacher appears.
Pethaps we should get rid of compulsory education beyond Jr. High?
And provide more vocational training and get rid of all ethnic, feminist, gendergender, etc studies.
When the student is ready the teacher appears.
Pethaps we should get rid of compulsory education beyond Jr. High?
And provide more vocational training and get rid of all ethnic, feminist, gender, etc studies.
Having said that (respectfully), I'm a veteran urban public school teacher, and here's my two cents.
One, we have no control over curriculum anymore. Everything is centrally managed. I must teach an honors Physics class, all of whom have already taken trig, the exact same way I teach a basic Physics class. That's just crazy.
Two, we have no control over discipline anymore. The focus now is on reducing suspensions (to improve statistics), not on providing orderly classrooms.
And three, I (again respectfully) think you are overemphasizing the "bored, ineffective teachers" thing. I want to work with competent colleagues. The incompetent ones ruin subject tracking, not to mention their effect on students. But I estimate only 5% of teachers I've worked with are incompetent. That percentage is probably the same in most professions.
Great post.
Emailed to my Conservative wife (teacher)
Some of this sounds like conversations at our dinner table.
The elephant in the room is PC and the coercive tactics which are given moral high ground in protecting unexamined assumptions. I am an older college student, and it breaks my heart to see perfectly lovely young people competing over who has the most wrong with them thus qualifying them for coveted “victim” status.
There is a whole lot that will straighten out quick if PC is removed. The competitiveness is still there, it’s just currently being misdirected.
One thing I have NEVER been asked in all of the teaching positions that I have sought is, what do you know, and/or any real discussion about teaching In other words, how do you impart what you know?
All that schools are concerned about is indoctrination, hence the importance placed upon the diversity statement and discussions along those lines. Socialization takes precedence over learning.
Here’s the key: recognize that “education” is not something that is done to someone, it’s something that someone does.
And recognize that, at some age around 12, it’s possible to identify possible high school students and others (most) for whom further education is a waste.
Limit college to the top 5%, determined by exam.
After that, everything else falls into place.
Some one once told me, "There are two things with which God will not help man; to find a teacher and to find a friend. You must do that on your own."
And of course, Einstein said, "There are two things eternal. Human stupidity and the universe. And I'm not even sure about the universe."
Interesting, but longer than necessary as another poster suggested. I have been an elected Board member of a community college, and am now a recently appointed Budget Committee member for a large school district. Most of education policy/directives comes from top down. ..ie..Feds...State Legislature mandates...it should start with student but does not (well except for lip service). $$$$$ drives “education”. Until parents pressure their state and national politicians I fear nothing will change. I do agree with another poster that after junior high (if education was done right) students should pursue their interests...not be locked in a classroom.
An article doing nothing more than arguing for even more liberal nonsense.
From my wife:
As a current public school teacher, I completely agree with these points. However, I would add one more key factor-parents. Too often they swoop in to save their child from “failures.†Instead of directing their child’s attention to his/her lack of effort, teachers are told it is their fault. Mistakes are how we learn and when kids understand that there are no consequences and that mommy or daddy will “fix†it, they lose the incentive to try harder. Motivation, while intrinsic, seems to be handled in an extrinsic manner. We, as a society, do not value real education, i.e. critical thinking and analysis, in order to be life long learners and productive adults. Parents set the example of respect and importance of an education. I see cultural differences in attitudes towards school, and it shows in student outcomes. Without parental, and societal support, too many students will continue to slide by using as little effort as possible
In short, work hard for less, and if you don’t like who you’re working for, work for someone who will let you work hard.
The fact is college education is controlled by corporations that hire college graduates. Since the dumbing down of the corporation has happened, most companies do not value technical educations but liberal arts like business majors. Most companies will not hire an engineer as a senior manager or executive. They want an MBA that does not have a technical degree. The MBAs of the world have circled the wagons and have kept out the superior intelligence for fear of competition. Why get a masters in engineering when a bimbo with a Business Communications or English degree will be the superior manager?
Colleges will follow whatever the commercial sector demands and they are only beginning to demand better educated graduates.
Two books that changed my perspective on teaching are Poetic Knowledge by Dr. James Taylor, and The Beautiful Tree by James Tooley.
The first explains what needs to be done, the second explains how it can be done.
Just whip the kids, as I did. No need for me or the wife to worry about income during retirement.
(actually, we only had to spank, and not much - kids FOCUS after being in some pain, always works)