Assignment #10

Do You Teach or Do You Educate?

     Joshua Bloom's video attempts to enlighten us about the difference between the words: teacher and educator. The question is what do I want to be. Based on his definitions I find it hard to believe that anyone would aspire to be a "teacher." As I watched the definitions of "teacher" scroll across the screen the thought that formed in my mind was "because I said so." In other words the facts have been presented and now they will be accepted and obeyed. As a mother of three I have used that phrase plenty of times and not always as a last resort. It is a shallow statement of a rhetorical fact. It is cold. It does not motivate or encourage cooperation. In fact it does more to turn the intended audience even further away from the desired goal. At times it is a bullying tactic. I know this because I am guilty of using it far to many times. But I seem to have lost my focus and needed to review the video again.

     I watched the "teacher" segment a few more times and I really do not think the four definitions are that far out of the scope of reality. I have every intention of showing and explaining many things. I plan to encourage the acceptance of several facts and principles. I will, in fact, give instruction and information. I will be the cause that helps a student understand something. I want to be the example of what to do or not do and when necessary I will decide on appropriate actions to encourage behavior modifications. To me these seem like solid goals. They are plain, direct and to the point. But it does not end with these statements. There is more, much more below the surface or there should be. I have seen a few teachers that were as shallow as any of these one sentence goals. I knew right away that I could "do it better" if I only knew how. I will surpass these definitions of "teacher" by being an "educator."

Right this moment I may not fully know how to be an educator but I am setting goals. While showing and explaining I can also creatively engage. I can encourage the acceptance of information as fact while also challenging preconceived ideas or misunderstandings. I will motivate my students and encourage thinking and understanding. I will be a role model at all times and a counselor as needed. I will look for new tactics to instill an enjoyment to the process of learning. My students will not try to please me. They will learn how to please themselves. I will help them own their education and be responsible for what they achieve and do not achieve. There is nothing wrong with being a teacher. On the other hand it would be a disservice to merely stop at being "just" a teacher. As an educator I can bring the best of creativity into teaching.


Don't Let Them Take the Pencils Home

     John T. Spencer, a teacher in Phoenix, Arizona, scores a satirical home-run with his Adventures in Pencil Integration blog. I found this site a few months ago through a tip on Twitter. One day several of the educators I follow were tweeting about a new installment. Later that day Mr. Spenser started tweeting back. I added the RSS feed just to see what would develop. It has not been disappointing. In fact it has been a lot of fun picking random posts to read. More than once I laughed aloud. More than once I received evil stares from fellow library patrons. Satire (the witty exposure of human error) is alive and well and perfectly at home on Mr. Spencer's blog.

     Gertrude the School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist sure has a lot to learn. The top of her to do list should read: replace fear with knowledge. She fears what she does not fully understand. Charts, graphs and tests are not an infallible litmus test for why ideas do or do not work. Even when "it" is not broken it can still be fixed. Sometimes a new creative concept seeps into the mainstream. Tom understands increasing popularity of the pencil and it's many application in and out of the classroom. It is a perfect fit for his students. Tom is a creative educator.

     Speaking of possible classroom applications the computer, iPad, iphone, notebooks, and tablets all went mainstream years ago. Students are proficient with their use as a social media tool. In fact some students are so fully engaged with one if not more of these items that they have become emotionally and physically dependent on them. What better tool to integrate into the classroom than one that has already proven to be addictive and unable to be ignored. Being on the learning curve with teaching and learning is an invaluable tool. Ms. Gertrude should try listening and observing Tom and his students. Tom seems to understand how to motivate his students and even their parents. He has presented Gertrude with a win/win situation. Too bad she can not see past her own fears, delusions, or ignorance. Heaven help the Gertrudes of the academic world when the Toms of the classroom start pushing for and even integrating the very latest technological marvels.

     Spoiler alert: the pencil is a metaphor for the computer. Teacher Tom knows what is a toy by many students can easily be geared as a tool in the classroom with almost no learning curve for the student. Personally I learn when I am enjoying the process not when concepts are being drilled into me. Play can motivate and engage and definitely creates a fertile learning atmosphere.