Teachers Are Not Miracle Workers# NextGeneration - 我爱宝宝
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Teachers Are Not Miracle Workers
By Walt Gardner on July 10, 2015 7:56 AM
In the debate over recruiting and retaining the best college graduates, the
claim is often made that they are indispensable because they can overcome
all obstacles ("Searching for Star Teachers," educationviews.org, Jun. 30).
This view rejects out of hand the argument about the responsibility of
students in learning. Only in the U.S. is the burden for learning placed
solely on the shoulders of teachers. I think this policy is totally
unrealistic and extremely harmful.
Movies like to portray teachers as magicians with the ability to take a
classroom of recalcitrant students and turn them into near scholars (e.g. "
Stand and Deliver"). Perhaps there are a few teachers who have managed to
achieve the seeming impossible. But they are outliers. The truth is that
learning is a partnership between teachers and students. If students do not
want to learn for whatever reason, teachers cannot do their job. The
reported 7,000 students who drop out of schools every day are a tragedy. But
to conclude that they would not have done so if their teachers had cared if
they remained in school is a gross oversimplification.
Students drop out of school for many reasons other than the indifference of
teachers. Some students come from chaotic backgrounds that make it almost
impossible for them to concentrate. Others leave to earn money to support
their siblings. Still others have no interest in the material being taught
by even the most caring and charismatic teachers.
Irving Howe in World Of Our Fathers (Simon & Schuster, 1976) wrote that this
was nothing new. In 1905 when public schools in New York City were
confronted with an overwhelming number of immigrants, he summed up the
situation as follows: "... the New York school system did rather well in
helping immigrant children who wanted help, fairly well in helping those who
needed help, and quite badly in helping those who resisted help." Notice
that he did not make excuses for the latter group. He merely described
reality.
During the 28 years that I taught English in the Los Angeles Unified School
District, I tried my best to reach all my students. But I was not
successful because over time too many of them viewed school primarily as a
venue for socializing. Accompanying this change was their sense of
entitlement. School was supposed to be fun. But not all learning can be
made that way. There is a certain amount of discipline necessary for real
learning. Unless students are willing to do their part, teachers will
eventually burn out. There is already evidence of this as a result of the
series of new expectations.
Exchange teachers from Asia always are astounded by the difference in
attitudes between students here and those from their own country. Hard work
and sacrifice are accepted as indispensable to learning in their native
countries. It's more than mere coincidence that Asian students, even if they
are born here, consistently are the best students. They have been brought
up in homes where all teachers are respected and learning is valued for its
own sake.
By Walt Gardner on July 10, 2015 7:56 AM
In the debate over recruiting and retaining the best college graduates, the
claim is often made that they are indispensable because they can overcome
all obstacles ("Searching for Star Teachers," educationviews.org, Jun. 30).
This view rejects out of hand the argument about the responsibility of
students in learning. Only in the U.S. is the burden for learning placed
solely on the shoulders of teachers. I think this policy is totally
unrealistic and extremely harmful.
Movies like to portray teachers as magicians with the ability to take a
classroom of recalcitrant students and turn them into near scholars (e.g. "
Stand and Deliver"). Perhaps there are a few teachers who have managed to
achieve the seeming impossible. But they are outliers. The truth is that
learning is a partnership between teachers and students. If students do not
want to learn for whatever reason, teachers cannot do their job. The
reported 7,000 students who drop out of schools every day are a tragedy. But
to conclude that they would not have done so if their teachers had cared if
they remained in school is a gross oversimplification.
Students drop out of school for many reasons other than the indifference of
teachers. Some students come from chaotic backgrounds that make it almost
impossible for them to concentrate. Others leave to earn money to support
their siblings. Still others have no interest in the material being taught
by even the most caring and charismatic teachers.
Irving Howe in World Of Our Fathers (Simon & Schuster, 1976) wrote that this
was nothing new. In 1905 when public schools in New York City were
confronted with an overwhelming number of immigrants, he summed up the
situation as follows: "... the New York school system did rather well in
helping immigrant children who wanted help, fairly well in helping those who
needed help, and quite badly in helping those who resisted help." Notice
that he did not make excuses for the latter group. He merely described
reality.
During the 28 years that I taught English in the Los Angeles Unified School
District, I tried my best to reach all my students. But I was not
successful because over time too many of them viewed school primarily as a
venue for socializing. Accompanying this change was their sense of
entitlement. School was supposed to be fun. But not all learning can be
made that way. There is a certain amount of discipline necessary for real
learning. Unless students are willing to do their part, teachers will
eventually burn out. There is already evidence of this as a result of the
series of new expectations.
Exchange teachers from Asia always are astounded by the difference in
attitudes between students here and those from their own country. Hard work
and sacrifice are accepted as indispensable to learning in their native
countries. It's more than mere coincidence that Asian students, even if they
are born here, consistently are the best students. They have been brought
up in homes where all teachers are respected and learning is valued for its
own sake.