I have been a teacher for 17 years. I have seen it come and seen it go in terms of what one of my friends used to call "LYNT, TYNT, and NNYT" or "last year's new thing, this year's new thing, and next year's new thing." The technology is amazing- I used to "run" things off on the purple mimeograph machine and I had 1,000s of overheads that I dutifully collected and arranged for lectures and maps and such. Now I have a touch board on which I can draw, work the Internet, illustrate examples, and make points on my PowerPoints which are all artfully projected onto a 4' by 4' screen. I can answer questions I don't know immediately because Google knows everything. I have knowledge on demand. And I think I am an okay teacher- okay so I think I'm good.
But the one thing by which I am absolutely mystified is how I think the students are not getting smarter, but dumber as my years in education grow, and it scares me. I try not to be, but I am constantly amazed and shocked at some of the absolutely ridiculous, and yes, stupid answers I get. I have had students argue with me that Hawaii and Alaska were actually next to each other and south of Texas because that's where the inset map was located on the map they studied. One of my students wanted to know how they "caught" the oil that was drilled out of the ocean floor. Did you know that Britain is an island? And today, one of my students identified a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. as Tupac. Seriously. I'm not joking. Did I mention that I DON'T teach elementary school? That I teach 10th graders? High school 15-16 year olds? Oh, and the kicker, I teach HONORS and ADVANCED PLACEMENT! And these children are the ones I sit through endless professional development to hone my skills for?
Sometimes I get angry because I feel like I'm one of the few that are actually doing my job. I attempt to make sure that my students know at least a little something when they leave me. But it is hard to keep up a positive attitude when confronted with such ignorance. The students have a hard time drawing any sort of thinking from their brains because there is not much in there except texting and reality TV! And of course, drugs, sex, and sports. Oh yeah, and vampires. Yes, I know, there are several of my students who are informed and educated teens who take their learning seriously. Some even read books, and surprise, some even watch the news. But do I have to seriously joke about this?
Whose fault is this? Is it the teacher? I think not. Is it the parent? Not all the blame can go there. Is it the student? To a certain extent. I can't make them learn.
I think it is a systematic problem in our society. I don't think people value education like they used to do. Now, I'm not one to moan and groan about the good ole' days, but is education really what it used to be? To me, students have never known what a privilege an education is- especially a free public education system. It's almost as if, since the education is "free", that no one believes that you actually have to work to take advantage of the education. The teacher is just supposed to open up their brains and pour in all the knowledge, pat them on the back, and tell them they all deserve an A. Students (and parents) aren't concerned about what they are learning. They are merely concerned with the grade that is at the end. "What grade did you give me?" Not "what grade did I earn?" We are cranking out kids who have GPAs that don't in any way shape or form match their actual knowledge. They don't understand the gift that education really is- how it can lift you out of poverty, how it can provide you with an income and a trade that will support you (and a future family) for the rest of your life, and how much that so many educators give up of their own lives and time to try to be the best teachers they can be.
How do we change how kids think about education? I don't know. Sometimes I feel pretty radical. I say don't make it free. Make people pay for the education. Or at least make people earn their education. If you don't make the grade, then you can't stay for free. Provide more vocational training for those who have no interest in learning about history and grammar and calculus or statistics. Give them a trade to support themselves. Get those who don't care out of the system. And let those who are willing to do the work and behave the way they need to in order to obtain their education stay. Don't reward them with promotion for being behaviorally gifted. Don't graduate them with a diploma that means nothing. Make it mean something.
Do I live in a dream world? Maybe so. But, according to psychologists and behavior specialists, until you find the "currency" or the motivation of the modern day student, it is pointless to continue spinning your wheels trying to educate those who do care and who have no desire to participate in their own learning experiences.
What is the solution? What is the "currency"? Let me know, and I'll "buy" in.
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