Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!pdn!reggie From: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach) Newsgroups: comp.edu Subject: Re: blaming teachers Message-ID: <3960@pdn.UUCP> Date: 4 Aug 88 13:02:16 GMT References: <12230@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <12260@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <24171@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA> <2967@utastro.UUCP> <11380@quartz.BBN.COM> Reply-To: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach) Organization: Paradyne Corporation, Largo FL Lines: 97 In article <11380@quartz.BBN.COM> dm@bbn.com (Dave Mankins) writes: >I believe that we err in blaming teachers for the poor performance of >our children. Even the most enthusiastic, motivated teachers have an >uphill battle to interest our children in things that we parents are >not interested in. I think that most will agree that the people involved with this newsgroup are probably for the most part the types of parents who care enough about their children that they don't totally depend upon the teacher for educating their children. I certainly never will, if for no other reason children need to be exposed to a broad range of ideas and ways of thinking. Not just the narrow views of the teacher or parents. >The answer? We all know what it is, I hope you'll forgive my >belaboring the obvious. Teach your children to respect learning. >When they come home from school, have them read to you for 15 minutes >as you do the dishes, prepare dinner, or set the table. It doesn't >matter what they read --- have them choose something and read to you. >Talk about ideas over dinner. Give them a taste of intellectual life, >and they won't need teachers to drag them to it. Only 15 minutes a day! I have been reading to my son before he goes to bed since he was about 2 years old. He is never satisfied with less than four or five books (he is 6 now). He is starting to read a little on his own and will come to *me* with a book and attempt to read it to me. I don't have to encourage him. Children are naturally inquisitive about the world around them. Unfortunately, society as a whole suppresses this rather than encourage children to pursue their interests. Parents are by far the most influential group. And many just are too ignorant or don't care. Teachers are ill equiped to correct this situation. That is one problem with the public school system and is a reason why people will pay the extra money to send their kids to private schools and why some teachers will take less of a salary to teach in one. Don't you think a teacher would love to teach a class where all of the students are motivated? The electronic baby sitter is too easy to turn to. It also seems to me that there are cartoons on every waking hour of the day (if you have cable). Often both parents work and a child spends much of their young life in a day care center. The early years are crucial to the development of a child and will help to set the tone for their interest, of lack of, in learnging. That is why the choice of such a service is most important, if both parents must work. That is why my wife and I had our son in a program that required us to stagger our hours and take two cars, even though we worked in the same building. We had our son in a center near our home, which was over an hour away from the office. It made life hard on us, but it was well worth it because the quality of the program was so much better than the more convenient centers near work. Most day care centers are simply baby sitting services. Often, just like our schools they are overcrowded and children don't get the individual attention they need so much in their early years. Right away we are throwing them into an institution where they are one of many. How many day care centers are working with kids and employ people who understand early childhood education, etc.....? In an ideal world every parent would be concerned enough to want to work with their children at an early age, not only to encourage their natural curiosity, but also to expose them to the world. This does not mean trying to teach them how to read at age two, but to avoid stifling their growth. Every teacher would be committed to helping children grow as well. Let us face it, anyone who has gone to any kind of a school can tell you there are good and bad teachers. Some are in it for the wrong reasons and money may not really help as much as you would think. How many doctors are in their profession for the wrong reason? I also strongly feel that the methods used in schools to teach are tired, old and need to be reviewed. Can you sit still in a desk from 8 AM until 3PM every day and listen to someone talk or give you busy work? How many fantastic facilities exist outside of the classroom to help kids get interested in learning, such as museums, exhibits, etc......? Are they ever utilized? One school I saw had a unique approach to learning about history. Instead of just reading textbooks and memorizing facts, they would take a period of history and for the entire year study every aspect of it. For example, if the Pilgrims were being studied, they would look at how they lived, ate, dressed, etc... and would even take on such activities as try cooking a meal as they would have or creating tools they used or perhaps visit some exhibit on some aspect of their lives. This kind of an approach, while not applicable to all subjects that are studies, can make education exciting for kids. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to throw out reading, writing and arithmetic. We can not get away from getting a good grounding in those areas. Just try to augment them. -- George W. Leach Paradyne Corporation ..!uunet!pdn!reggie Mail stop LF-207 Phone: (813) 530-2376 P.O. Box 2826 NOTE: codas<--->pdn will be gone soon Largo, FL 34649-2826