We Teach Children

"Oh, what do you do?"

"I'm a teacher."

"What do you teach?"

"Children."

These are exciting times in education as we take a tight curve on the road of education. The movement now is to be a facilitator of learning, a training ground for technology. We are to encourage students to engage in critical thinking and produce authentic individual work.  Sometimes we lose sight of what teaching is all about. We are here to inspire young people to learn and explore. We need to take them beyond the books!

                     

                     Photo: Student and Books. http://www.distance-education.org/Articles/Six-Reasons-Why-You-Shouldn-t-Go-Back-to-School--118.html

Many of us are given an opportunity to mentor a student teacher. This is a daunting task as we are the bridge between the textbook theory and multifaceted reality. The practical approaches to working with students are as different as the personalities of the teachers. What works for one, may not work for another. An atypical approach that most of us never thought of might be just the needed insight a student teacher would need to add to their tool box of strategies.  

I have a student teacher and would like to give her the opportunity to hear a variety of perspectives to the many questions and concerns she has. This is a call to teachers to chime in with your tips, tricks and wisdom to unlock the mysteries of educating students...in the real world.