"Bob Penoyer" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 May 2013 17:24:40 -0400, rickman wrote:


I've followed this thread for a while and I'm struck by your strident
support for teachers and teaching.

You seem to suggest that we mere mortals can't understand teaching
despite being educated in grade school, high school, college, and
graduate school. And, despite having children and grandchildren go
through the same process.

Consider these facts about teaching and teachers:

* As a group, teaching majors have the lowest SAT scores

* Schools of education are regarded as the dregs of universities'
schools

* If it required special training to teach, why is it that a
5-year-old can teach a 3-year-old how to do something?

* University professors--people who teach--aren't required to have
teacher training or teaching credentials

* Teaching majors learn such things as teaching methods, teaching
tools, etc. The one thing they don't learn--specifically, elementary
school teachers--is something to teach; they are no better educated in
basic subjects than they were when they left high school.

When I was in elementary school, several teachers told our classes,
for example, that "I was never very good at math," or "I was never
very good at spelling." But they taught those subjects nevertheless.

Public schools are worse now than they were 50 years ago, and they
continue to get worse.

When I was in grade school, we had smart kids and we had dumb kids,
but ALL could read. That's not true today, even for high school kids.

Your vaunted teachers have failed us. Jim Thompson's examples of how
his granddaughter was given a problem for which she was not equipped,
and the teacher jumping into simultaneous equations with no prior
preparation in single-variable algebra are only two examples. The
examples of misguided teachers and teaching methods are endless.


I too have been following this thread. Some of the comment have put a smile
on my face. I have been working in and around schools and teachers for many
years. I even had a few opportunities to actually teach the teaching staff
in some local elementary schools a few years back how to use their newly
installed alarm system. The results of those classes proved that my efforts
fell on deaf ears since most did not learn much of anything with all the
problems that happened after. Either I am not a good teacher or the
students were not good learners. :-)

On a different circumstance I was asked to repair a classroom phone that was
not ringing in Room 224 at a particular elementary school. Upon arrival I
checked in at the office and said I was going up to Rm 224 to take a look.
Entered the room and the teacher was at her desk on the other side of the
room. I identified myself and said why I was there. She started into a
rant about the phone not working for over 2 weeks bla bla bla.. I explained
that I just received the work order a couple of hours
before........................... I looked at the phone and flipped up the
lever that was marked "ringer on/\ - ringer off \/" I called the office and
asked them to call Rm 224. Of course the phone rang and the teacher jumped
out of her chair. "WHAT did you do??" She asked. I motioned for her to
come over to the phone and pointed to the lever and said; "This was in the
OFF position" She said; "Is THAT what THAT is for??" I sent the school
district a invoice for an hour of my time.

The point of these little stories................. from my point of view
teachers that are in the teaching field are only as good as their desires.
Most do not have common sense. Some are better than others. All will
defend what they do, some are right and some are not. And lastly, it is a
proven fact that 50% of all certified teachers graduated in the bottom half
of their class.

Have a nice day. I will now retreat to my lurking position.

Les