In the Basement of the Ivory Tower
I work at colleges of last resort. For many of my students, college was not a goal they spent years preparing for, but a place they landed in. Those I teach don’t come up in the debates about adolescent overachievers and cutthroat college admissions.
… But my students and I are of a piece. I could not be aloof, even if I wanted to be. Our presence together in these evening classes is evidence that we all have screwed up. I’m working a second job; they’re trying desperately to get to a place where they don’t have to. All any of us wants is a free evening.
Teacher Workshop Evaluation of the Year
I think the most valuable thing I got out of this was to change the perception of my job from "information dispenser to "designer of learning environments." I really enjoyed it. I usually get online to look for jobs in other fields during inservice, but I didn't do that once during your workshop. I am actually exited about using this information.
Good Teachers Don’t Have To Be Cool
As a 21-year-old rookie teacher I was pleased to find out I could finally be the most popular guy in class. I read all the books and crafted the "know-it-all" lecture that informed and entertained. It took me a few years to realize that my goal wasn't to be the smartest person in the room, but to create learning environments that helped my students discover their knowledge and skills.
I was reminded of my teaching transition as I read a recent essay by Mark Edmundson, "Geek Lessons – Why Good Teaching Will Never Be Fashionable." It's from the New York Times Magazine's college teaching issue (9/21/08), but educators of all levels may enjoy. Edmundson writes:
….Good teachers perceive the world in alternative terms, and they push their students to test out these new, potentially enriching perspectives. Sometimes they do so in ways that are, to say the least, peculiar.
….Good teachers know that now, in what’s called the civilized world, the great enemy of knowledge isn’t ignorance, though ignorance will do in a pinch. The great enemy of knowledge is knowingness. It’s the feeling encouraged by TV and movies and the Internet that you’re on top of things and in charge. You’re hip and always know what’s up.
….Good teachers, by contrast, are constantly fighting against knowingness by asking questions, creating difficulties, raising perplexities. More
Your Students Will Never Be Late for Class Again
Like all teachers, I struggled for years with tardy students – “But Mr. Pappas, I had to stop at my locker!” Then I took a lesson from fellow teacher – Tom O’Brien, the art teacher in the classroom next door. Tom had it figured out, and here’s what he taught me.
Stand at the door between classes and greet each individual student by name with a handshake as they walk in the room. It guarantees that every day you’ll have a positive connection with every one of your students. Student having a bad day? Find our before they act out in class. When the bell rings, the door closes and you promptly begin class. Students quickly realize if they are late, they don’t get a personal greeting. Try it – it works!
image credit flickr/Earls37a