Tuesday, April 14, 2015
April 14 - Why I Teach
Today's #AprilBlogADay topic has us reflecting on why we teach. As I think about this, the first things that come to mind are everything I exclude as reasons.
NOT reasons why I teach:
To teach a specific subject
To give students tests
To stand in front of a classroom and lecture
To force children to read, write, or do math
To frustrate students beyond belief
To "skill and drill"
Now for the REAL reasons why I teach
To see a smile on a child's face
To watch productive struggles
To make connections that will last a life time
To help students access the world around them
To be a bridge between child and families, and children and the world
To inspire others
To help students see their strengths
To model my love for learning
To be present
I am sure I could come back to this post periodically and continue to add to each group.
Teaching is not about imparting knowledge onto students. It is about building relationships and providing skills students need to learn!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Heidi,
ReplyDeleteWell put! Thanks for sharing and inspiring us today. I like the idea of the teacher as a bridge. Very nice image. I'll have to ponder.
Yes, so true. It's not about imparting knowledge onto students (I think of a dump truck of facts spilling onto them), but building relationships and providing skills. Or at least the time and space needed to gain those skills.
Beautiful! I think you have a good idea to make this post two growing lists.
Thanks for sharing in #AprilBlogADay!
Denise
Denise,
ReplyDeleteSorry I am just replying now. I didn't pay attention to the comment feature on my blog! Better late than never, right? Just think about the bridge idea. Many children's home culture and home experience is different than that of school. We have to foster the relationship between home and school by supporting both children and parents. Besides, we know that kids learn best by those they feel connected to; therefore relationship building is the most important job of a teacher!