Blog Post #10

1. Do You Teach or Do You Educate? By: Joshua B. Bloom

I believe there is some grey area with most people when it comes to knowing the difference between Teaching and Educating? I would venture to say that most use the two words interchangeably. When the fact is that they are indeed different. I have heard teacher's say phrases like this, "I spent two extra days teaching that lesson and the majority still did poorly on the test!" What I want to say is, "You may have stood in front of the class and "taught", but apparently not very many student's were educated after you finished."

I especially like the definition given in the video that an educator equals an experienced trusted adviser. That is what I want to be, I want more than anything to be an ally to my students. I want to provide an atmosphere and experience that makes them want to learn. I want to take away the fear of making mistakes, and teach them how to use their mistakes as a learning experience.

2.Don't Let Them Take Home Pencils By: Tom Johnson

Goodness, I know that we are all going to encounter the dreaded "Gertrudes" in life. The foot tapping, stuck in their ways, know it alls. There has been one at all of my past jobs and I know there is at least one in every school. (It's inevitable.) After reading a few of Mr. Johnson's blogs Gertrude is the "human brick wall" that he seems to hit at every turn. She is more focused on standardized test scores than on "educating" her students. Her reputation is more important than the student's education. This is going to be one of my greatest challenges as a teacher, the forced focus on standardized tests. I know that we have to focus on it, but we have to work extra hard to not let it be our main focus.

In this particular post Gertrude is after Mr. Johnson for letting his students take home "pencils". Because we all know that research shows that students that take home "pencils" score lower on standardized tests. Oh, and heaven forbid if a student was caught playing a game with a "pencil", their level of intelligence is sure to be doomed. Of course the word pencil in this post is substituted for computer. Mr. Johnson was caught allowing students to take computer's home. This is a "No, No!" according to Gertrude, the School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist. I despise the way that she basically states that low income areas don't have access, and don't understand how to use technology for educational purposes so just leave it that way. That's terrible, they will never move forward if someone doesn't educate them. It is going to take a lot more Mr. Johnson's to make a difference. He has started a program that brings the parents in and educates them on how to use the computers. The majority of the parents in these areas do not use computers on their jobs, and they never used them in school. They appreciate the opportunity to learn. I know that it is hard/expensive to provide access to computers for all students. But, it is now more than ever becoming a necessity. I also like Mr. Johnson's point that if they go home and use the computer to play a game, it's ok. It is safe to say that some form of learning is happening while they are playing. This is an awesome blog, definitely one that I am excited about following.