Blog Post #10

Do You Teach Or Do You Educate?

The video, Do You Teach Or Do You Educate?, is a short video that describes "To Teach" or "To Educate". I thought the video was short and sweet but I also wanted more details. I feel like I already know the teacher I am going to be and I know I will incorporate the appropriate amount of either teaching or educating. I think a good teacher, in time, and with experience should be able to establish when to teach and when to educate.

Webster's dictionary states that to teach is "to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in." I believe for one to be a good teacher, they must not "bark" at their students or preach at them, but motivate them and try to inspire them. Teachers should have a passionate outlook on educating and not just look at it as a job 5 days a week. You should always love what you do and I know by combining teaching and educating them you can make it fun and instructional. If we can learn to incorporate fun and interesting topics into our curriculum then students will be more alert and ready to learn.

I want to be the teacher that my students can look by and say that I inspired them and change their learning experience. I want to be the teacher that made learning fun and kept my students focused and engaged. I want to be the teacher that shows compassion, advices her students, and most of all helps to create the foot steps to their intellectual journey. I definitely believe one can teach and educate. You, the teacher, just has to be able to use the two in an affective way.

Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home by Tom Johnson

After reading Tom Johnson's blog post, Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home, I thought to myself, "wow, pencils really are important." I never really thought about how pencils could be used or thought as toys in inter city schools. It actually makes sense to me now. With these students having parents who do not supply things such as pencils would enable them to view a "pencil" as a toy. Also the academic specialist talks about when students play with pencils, their test scores become lower and lower. The specialist thinks when students take pencils home and play games such as "hangman" then they lose all test taking capabilities. I think when Mr. Johnson says he does not mind if his students play such games is a good thing. Mr. Johnson seems like a great teacher and I know test taking can make students nervous about taking these board tests. I want to allow my students to be great test takers and feel like they can always ask questions so they can accomplish these board tests to the best of their ability. Teaching is about learning and growing and I want to continue to grow and better myself as an educator.