Re: Why I Do Not Want to Take Lessons

G. Howard Bryan (hbryan@pipeline.com)
Sat, 04 Jan 1997 09:40:54 -0500

Most of us have had excellent teachers. The point of my posting was that
the system in the public schools I have experienced actually discourages the
technically or artistically competent, and encourages those who are content
to take the in-service "how to teach" exercises. The school systems I have
known generally pay no attention to competence or to knowledge of the
subject matter. To a large degree this attitude is the product of the
universities that produce our teachers and administrators. None of the
education courses that I have taken or heard of placed any emphasis on
knowing the subject one is to teach, but have emphasized current theories of
how to teach.

A very recent case in point: My younger daughter has a degree in Education.
She had very little interest or training in science, but, on graduation from
college, was hired to teach Eighth Grade Science. She did fairly well, and
has actually grown to love her work, but this was in spite of an
administration that cared not a whit about what the students could learn
from her. Their sole interest was in whether or not the paper requirements
could be met.

Yes, there are excellent teachers in the public schools. No, they are not
the result of either the universities or the school systems.

At 08:02 PM 1/3/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>Barbara;
>>
>>You make some valid points, most of which can be summed up in the old
>>Teacher's College principle:
>> "Those who can, do; those who cannot, teach; and those who can't
>>teach teach others to teach."
>>
Snip >I am soooo tired of seeing this bit of glibness!!!!! In my life I have
>known so many really good teachers who were very good at their subjects,
>music, math, art, biology, typing, dance, writing etc etc etc
>who put themselves on the line every day just to pass some of their
>knowledge along to others because they felt that teaching was a calling.
Snip

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Howard

hbryan@pipeline.com