The truth about school is it doesn’t matter.
At least, not like you think.
Maybe I should refine that; for most of the students you teach, the content you teach matters less than how you teach.
Students are already half-formed by their families and home life. Educators are not easily able to overcome, or refashion students so much as to reorient them. Teachers can offer them different lenses to look through. You can offer them options, ways of being in the world.
It isn’t that what you do as a classroom teacher doesn’t matter. It is that how you do it matters more than what you do.
What I want for my children from school:
The ability to thrive within diversity.
Teach children how to speak to those with which they do not agree. Students need to know how to appreciate differences and value them.
Teach children the majority can always find value in the minority.
A growth mindset.
As children learn, teach them to be kind to themselves and others. The rate of learning is expected to be different between any two people, even when school acts in the contrary.
Teach them that learning is a life long process and they must learn to enjoy it.
To love learning.
More than memorizing independent events and facts, I want my children to be interested, fi not delighted, to learn new things.
Students should make a connection and be excited by the new knowledge and the way that information matters to their world.
Most of the students in our schools are learning without you; the content you teach matters less than how you teach.
It isn’t that what you do as a classroom teacher doesn’t matter. It is that how you do it matters more than what you do.
2018-03-11 at 11:31 pm
I am going to have to agree with you on this. How we do things are far more important than what we do.
2018-03-12 at 7:27 am
Awesome, I have always felt with certain teachers I, then my children and even now my grandchildren could have learned so much more or better. If a teacher is enthusiastic it is easier to learn the same as with attentive, caring, interesting about what they teach. The flip side is they should also make more money than someone working on our cars. These are our children, our future!
2018-03-12 at 8:27 am
This is the deep truth that everyone must know. I love how you speak from different angles on how teachers should be and how you want your children to have. Great post!
2018-03-12 at 11:28 am
Very valid points. I don’t have kids yet, but soon will be. Baby girl on the way! And seeing all these with my nieces and nephew kinda worries me.
2018-03-12 at 11:53 am
Yes, the one I remember was from elementary school – Mrs. Henderson. Because she was so kind and attentive and obviously I loved it.
Then my son had 2 teachers that ganged up on him in a wonderful way in 5 grade – telling him he was so much smarter than he was acting and challenged him to go from an ‘F’ to an ‘A’ overall and he did! Amazing when teacher take time – and they are wonderful
2018-03-12 at 12:18 pm
Great blog! It’s definitely true that students learn at different paces. It’s a matter of the teacher picking up on these differences and adjusting the learning process accordingly.
2018-03-12 at 12:53 pm
I agree with you, the way a teacher teaches is what kids remember, at least to me…I had a number of teachers from grade school and high school that I will always be grateful for…having been kind to me and seeing what I am as a person…I wrote about them years ago on different posts, so I’m linking one below. 🙂 Thanks for making me remember them.
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2018-03-12 at 1:01 pm
My favorite teachers were Mrs. Cannon and Mrs Owen. Loved them dearly and they impacted my life so much. I chose to follow in their footsteps and become a Family and consumer science teacher myself as a result. They are priceless!
2018-03-12 at 1:14 pm
This is such an insighftul post and I totally agree with you! This makes me remember a lot one of my favorite teachers. He wasn’t like the conventional teachers and he really made learning fun! He made us look way beyond things and I’m forever thankful for him!
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2018-03-12 at 2:36 pm
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Hall. She taught 7th grade English. She taught us through visuals, illustrations, and even rapping. I learned more from her than any other English teacher because of the way she taught.
2018-03-12 at 5:56 pm
Ironically, I found my strictest teacher to be the most memorable and beloved. She scared students and kept the rebellious ones at bay, which is why I liked her so much. I felt like in my other classes the students were in control and I didn’t have the chance to learn and grow academically. She taught Spanish literature and composition and she was so passionate about the written word that it inspired me to appreciate the books and stories we read and evaluated, even to this day.
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2018-03-12 at 6:11 pm
I feel like the biggest thing that helped with school was when learning was fun and when the teacher created a passion for learning.
2018-03-12 at 7:00 pm
A good teacher can make the most boring content seem so amazing and interesting. I remember several great teachers in my life who really turned me around to love history! I do not envy teachers today though with all they have to deal with in the classroom.
2018-03-12 at 7:44 pm
I have a lot of great memories about my fifth grade teacher. I can remember that she took a lot of extra time to help me with math, and she would take the time to talk to each of us and encourage us to always do our best.
2018-03-12 at 8:03 pm
For me, growing up and going to school felt more of a chore when I was younger. As a got older I took an interest in education but that is because I had to find my own ways of making it enjoyable. I feel from my experience that teachers need to be excited and enjoy the material they teach. Otherwise, they will have students bored out of their minds and dreading the class to be over.
2018-03-12 at 10:06 pm
This topic is so important! How a person teaches is so crucial, as teaching isn’t just about the content, but how you can nurture each student. If a teacher is passionate and cares, it makes all the difference 🙂
2018-03-12 at 10:34 pm
I agree. Learning should not be confined within the walls of a classroom, and teaching should be done in ways that children will understand. At the end of the day, isn’t it more satisfying that kids enjoy learning from you? 🙂
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2018-03-12 at 10:48 pm
You are so right. I remember my high school basketball coach so fondly for all the life lessons, she taught me. Most had absolutely nothing to do with the sport itself. We still stay in touch. I’m glad I’ve had the chance to tell her how important she was to me.
2018-03-13 at 6:23 am
This is an awesome post and the last 2 are on point
The love to learning and a growth mindset.For them to benefit from school they need to learning but because they have to but involuntarily.Should have the desire to learn new things.
2018-03-13 at 6:40 am
Your post resonates deeply. Teachers have a job: to guide and help mold our future citizens. The saying “they will not remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel” is applicable and poignant here. Thanks for raising awareness and speaking your Truth.
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2018-03-13 at 6:56 am
You made some really great points here. I agree teaching methods can be so much more important than the content. Engagement with students and teachers matters.
2018-03-13 at 8:03 am
This is a great post. We homeschooled all three of our children and my first goal was to give them a love of learning followed by a love for books.
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2018-03-13 at 8:24 am
This is a great article!! The teacher is so important when it comes to school. I am so grateful my children have been blessed with teachers who encourage them to have fun and find interests they get excited about!
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2018-03-13 at 10:21 am
This is such a great and timely post. My favorite teachers were the ones that made me love learning. And it didn’t really matter what they taught. I hated Science until I had an amazing science teacher. That year I even got awards.
2018-03-13 at 10:23 am
Absolutely. I’ve taken the same class under different teachers with different teaching methods and the material comes to life based on who is presenting it.
2018-03-13 at 10:57 am
I agree what you do to offer all difference perspective on learning and knowledge can make all the difference. Helping kids to fall in love with learning is a great objective.
2018-03-13 at 1:42 pm
I love all of these things. Learning about how to relate to all people and wanting to learn are both incredible things to learn. I know it’s got to be difficult to be a teacher in this current time, but we are lucky to have excellent teachers in our district. My kids are thriving and get give all credit to the teachers!
2018-03-13 at 5:26 pm
This is so true. Onc of my favorite teachers in school was not great because I thought she knew a lot but because she knew how to connect with her students. It is so important to know how each student learns.
2018-03-14 at 12:49 pm
I love this. My best memories of school are the teachers that inspired me the most. Much more important than the material!
2018-03-14 at 12:58 pm
There is so much value in a good teacher that makes those connections with children. The same content can be taught so many different ways and it’s obviously very important to recognize what the children need beyond the content.
2018-03-21 at 11:26 pm
Great message, Nyla Kay, and so true. We were taught to be respectful, and taught our own children to be respectful. It makes my heart smile when I hear them being respectful or teaching their own children the same principles. And it brings my heart joy when they train their children in righteousness, because everything else is nothing almost impossible without Him. It”s not just an act, but a change of heart, in obedience to God, that becomes a way of life. If we can”t obey respect our own earthly authority, how can we obey respect God?!