Submitted by Gina (not verified) on November 29, 2007 - 12:28.
I completed an education program at a small liberal arts college that required another major. I am terribly thankful for that. I understand that all of the theory is not what interests most people and is not what makes a great teacher. However, the valuable time that I spent developing my theories of power differentials in a classroom and contextualizing them in the historic trends of schooling were imperative to actually transforming schooling.
Unfortunately, it still seems to be the case that schools would prefer thoughtless, robotic teachers who do not need to think things through or create anything (including "teachable moments"). They would prefer a teacher-in-a-box who will simply follow a strict curriculum and pacing guide with poor, low-interest resources and no time for transformative learning, the only kind that gets kids engaged in the learning process and keeps them motivated to learn.
I was not trained for the ideal world, but I was also not trained to be an automaton. And that is why I am not teaching today.
What about teachers who are "too well-prepared?"
Submitted by Gina (not verified) on November 29, 2007 - 12:28.
I completed an education program at a small liberal arts college that required another major. I am terribly thankful for that. I understand that all of the theory is not what interests most people and is not what makes a great teacher. However, the valuable time that I spent developing my theories of power differentials in a classroom and contextualizing them in the historic trends of schooling were imperative to actually transforming schooling.
Unfortunately, it still seems to be the case that schools would prefer thoughtless, robotic teachers who do not need to think things through or create anything (including "teachable moments"). They would prefer a teacher-in-a-box who will simply follow a strict curriculum and pacing guide with poor, low-interest resources and no time for transformative learning, the only kind that gets kids engaged in the learning process and keeps them motivated to learn.
I was not trained for the ideal world, but I was also not trained to be an automaton. And that is why I am not teaching today.