9/23/21; Week 02: Response to "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?"

 Discussion: "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?"

What is wrong with today's teaching?

The explanation for teaching in this article can be seen similarly to apostasy, is as if the true meaning of teaching was lost, there are still a lot of teachers but each one tries to teach in their own way, and have a different interpretation of what success in the classroom means. They are missing the divine inspiration that can unleash the potential of true teaching.

It seems that education now lacks the interpersonal relationship between the student and the teacher, its as if instead of a teacher there was a ghost haunting the classroom, the monotone voice reciting text from a book, the ink spilling against notebooks to form words that will be forgotten as soon as the lesson ends, anxiety building at the fear of being picked to answer a question and possibly being lash out by the teacher or made fun because of not knowing the correct answer, a memory to hunt you for the rest of your days. Learning has become a fearful activity for students, instead of an enjoyable and exciting opportunity that opens the doors of your future.

We now know that the way of teaching is wrong, some of the issues are:
  • Teachers being too uptight instead of inviting.
  • Teachers don't inspire students to think for themselves.
  • Teachers fail to catch their student's interest in the lesson.
  • Teachers shame mistakes instead of accepting them as part of the process of learning.
  • And teachers are bounded to cultural beliefs that shorten their sight of the bigger picture.
Now, what can we do to correct these outcomes?

The ways of a Great American Teacher

First of all, we can now recognize that teaching is not a simple formula that you follow to a predictable answer, is both a complex science and a passionate art that takes time to master, some of the most important aspects of teaching would be:

  • Positive teacher-student relationship.
  • A good delivery.
  • Edifies rather than damages a student's self-concept.
  • Clarity.
  • Encourages deep critical thinking.
  • Variety instead of monotony.
  • Grading and workload is  generally perceived to be fair.
  • Enthusiasm and zest for the topic.
  • Meaningful to real world problems.
  • Potentially transforms one's world view from one of uncritical acceptance of cultural dictated to one of deep, reflective, and compassionate thinking. 
I think that one of the most important aspects of being a teacher is being a good example and influencing in a positive way those people that are counting on you to guide them in the process of learning. As teachers, we should be aware that every action we take has a repercussion on our students that can affect their potential in a positive or negative way. We have to always remember that we are dealing with other human beings, that have feelings, they have thoughts, and they have a story that is being written at the moment, we have the potential to strengthen those brilliant minds that will become the future of our society. 

We shall find light and inspiration, and guide others with it.


Reference: Ivers, J. J. (2012). Is the great american teacher dead?: Principles to resurrect meaningful, effective, and consciousness raising instruction. Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice, 18, 44-51.

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