Sunday, September 25, 2011

What is Important?

No matter how cool the latest trick that you add to your bag of tricks is, what is most important to you as an educator?

Is it something that makes you look better as an educator? Is it something that saves you time? Is it something that you worked really hard on and because of your hard work it must be added?  Is it your salary? Is it your comfort zone?

I certainly believe that most educators would not even think of any of the things I just listed.  The examples all have the word "you" in them, as if we own anything in education. If you are an educator you know this.  You also know who our main "client" is.  I say client because without them the education "industry" would be out of business.  Our main client is the student.  I personally think that students are the most important thing to consider in any decision dealing with education.

If you are following me and know where I work you would say that this is kind of a requirement for my job.  However, if I did not work there I would still have this idea of student centered decision making.  Once educators, administrators, and politicians start to make decision solely based on what is best for the student only then will really see change in education.

When this change occurs we will be asking ourselves these questions: What makes the student look better?  Will this save my student time? Will my students work really hard on this? Will my student be able to get a higher paying job if they understand this concept?  Will I challenge my student to step out of their comfort zone?  Now, these examples are kind of silly but you do see the difference between these and the previous ideas I suggested earlier.

I need work in this area just as much as any other teacher and I hope to help all my students be better every day!


2 comments:

  1. Will my student be able to get a higher paying job if they understand this concept?

    That is not something an educator should be concerned with. I would think you are more concerned with pushing the student to realize their full potential.

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  2. Brian, I was tying it in with the "you" questions about teacher salary question. That's the only reason why I put that one there in that way.

    I agree that pushing to fullest potential is something that educators should be concerned with.

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