Making Sense Of It All

Geoffrey Canada says culture plays a role in the way kids learn.  There is a culture that has it's own rules and if educators don't understand the rules they will continue to take action without results.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uIQVTZHQzA    

I thought that this list would help me be a good teacher.  I thought that these general principals would help me keep my perspective on teaching and really help kids.  Here you go. 1.  Kids are not small adults.  I assume that kids don't know the basics...about anything.     2.  Teaching takes time.  Repetition, repetition, repetition.  Skills are not learned overnight.   3.  Every kid is different.  Enough said. 4.  Growth is only possible if success and failure are a part of the equation. 5.  Most parents have no idea how to teach their kids.  This is more a statement of fact than a condemnation of parents. 6.  You can't force a student to learn.   Over the past few years I've had to add to my list so I could continue to be effective.    7.  Most kids don't know how to work. 8.  Most kids are addicted to their electronic devices (this IS a condemnation of pa...

I love teaching people.  I think it's the look on a student's face when they finally get the material that keeps me coming back. The flash of confidence and self-efficacy is worth all the struggle. Then why do I want to leave the profession?  That's simple.  I don't like it.  The "profession" of teaching is far removed from the "act" of teaching.  It's kind of like saying, I love the water but I hate sailing.  Sailing is complicated.  There are ropes, rudders, and chores like scrubbing the deck and scraping barnacles that make sailing more tedious than simply swimming.  On top of that, there are regulations that make sailing overly complicated.  You have to go a certain speed and you have to stay in a certain lane and you have to check in and out of a harbor to make sure you don't have contraband on your ship.  You get the idea. I am becoming an administrator because I believe I can help teachers enjoy the profession again by throwin...