04/28/2022; Week 02: My Response to "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?"

 

    In the article, “Is the Great American Teacher Dead?” by John J. Ivers it talks about lost teaching principles that are needed for meaningful instruction. Ivers bases his ideas from many other anthropologists and their research on the many factors that are interfering with American education. According to Ivers, “education is more than just exposing people to the facts.” I believe that our job as educators is to help not just children but our society to look for ways to constantly improving one’s mind.

    I grew up in a different time and era than what my children are being exposed today. The culture we are raised in influences what we value and how we view things. As a child, I remember being consumed with reaching a perfect grade and being able to memorize data to be able to perform perfectly in tests because that was what my teachers were passionate about. I have to say that I do not remember everything my teachers taught me, but I do remember how those teachers made me feel about myself and about learning. I know everyone has a favorite teacher and if we try to point out what do they all have in common we will find that they had a different way of delivering their profession in helping students connect themselves with what they are learning and why they need it in their lives.

    It is our responsibility to be passionate about whatever it is we want to pass on to our audience. I like how Ivers refers to teaching not only being a science but a form of art. We have to be careful how we are making students feel and not just about how they feel about learning but about themselves. We must try to leave them better than how we found them.

    After reading this article, I learned that to be a teacher it is not just about how much we know but how we deliver our teaching. When we are teaching we become actors, performers, dancers, and perhaps even comedians about our own mistakes. We need to remember what Ivers said, “we don’t pay attention to boring things” and “if  one  wants  to  complete  the  mission,  the  first  order  of  business  is  to take care of the troops.” We need to know our students and how we can reach their attention to be able to keep them engaged and motivated to continue to learn.

    I am motivated to be the best facilitator and tutor for those that I will be helping in their journey to improving themselves, but I do wonder how can I reach a group of students when everyone seems to learn in different ways and are at different levels? How can I keep everyone engaged without loosing anyone?