Introduction (ISBN: 978-1-4507-2795-2/copyright 2010)
Have you heard these words before: If only someone told me? If you are considering a career as a classroom teacher, this is a good book for you to read before beginning a track toward certification or before choosing a major in education. If you are already in the classroom, you may need to reevaluate if you still have what it takes to stay in the classroom. I started out doing genetic research and then moved to clinical toxicology with an international pharmaceutical company before entering the classroom. No one told me that my first paycheck as a teacher would read $480.00 for two weeks of work, less than half of what I made working in the laboratory. My first classroom experience was rough. I happened to be the third long term substitute that the students had seen. The first two walked away. So, the students “got together” and devised a plan for me as well. In the middle of class on my second day, a stink bomb went off. I told them to shut the windows and I closed the door. They were shocked at my response. Unanimously, they shouted, “You’re crazy.” I told them: “The next time you try something like this, ask first what the person used to do before teaching. I was a toxicologist. And, if you don’t what that is – I used to work with feces, body parts, blood, saliva, and urine. Now, open the windows and let’s get on with the class.” I never had any more problems. The word spread pretty quickly. Why did I change careers, you ask? My infant son would not hear of having mom gone all of the day and into the night. I ran the night shift in the toxicology department. Research took an enormous amount of time from family life. In essence, the change in careers was made to accommodate my child (and subsequent children) and to be more of a mother who had free time to enjoy with the little ones.
After two decades of classroom teaching, I have seen many aspects of instructional research that has proved helpful to people entering into the world of teaching. This book is not about research. It’s about the reality that most textbooks and theory classes don’t discuss. This book will offer you a journey that you will find yourself returning to over and over again. This book is not just for those considering teaching as a new career or for those who have already decided to enter as new teachers. This book is also for veteran teachers who have been in the classroom for a while and who need a burst of energy and renewed reflection.
Enjoy this realistic conversation. Let’s talk!
It is no secret that school districts all over the nation are taking a closer look at how students learn and how these districts can improve on these learning processes. Consultants are being called in to re-do, revamp, recall, re-analyze, and any other “re” you can think of. People are being paid thousands of dollars to stand in front of teachers, administrators, and other school personnel to impart their words of wisdom. School districts are compiling data to the nth degree to justify spending dollars on examining how to improve test scores while the world moves forward at a very fast pace. Education has been reduced (another “re” word) to a battle of wits regarding increasing percentages on tests. Students have become victims of dissection and doom. Intellects are shaking their heads. What do we do next? Better yet – how did we get here in the first place?
Students have become victims of dissection and doom.
Students value wanting an education less and less every day. Some students make the claim that they can make more money in one week than teachers make in one year. So, why do they need to attend school? Where is the value? In my own experience, students have shown me wads of cash that I could only wish one day to have. Today’s classrooms are filled with a “different” kind of child. Some scholars even profess to have the “magic bullet” answer to the current problem. Volumes of books are being churned out on how to produce the best classroom environment where teachers can actually teach. It amazes me how gullible we have become. We have become victims of our own lack of meta-cognition. How did I learn? How do I know what I know? That is what schools concentrated on not that long ago. We have abandoned that “common sense” type of approach that could help lead our future generations. Somewhere along the line, we became overly excited at the new age of technology. Educators thought they had to completely change the system in order to keep up with the fast pace of modern technology. I really don’t know why we changed our entire philosophy.
We have abandoned that “common sense” type of approach that could help lead our future generations.
It boggles my mind to think that what we left behind is what truly worked. The only component to add to what we already had was to add in technology. The general approach should have remained the same. Now, when I thought about writing this book, I realized that I would come under tremendous scrutiny and criticism from the “experts” in the field. As I pondered on that thought, I surrendered to the notion that there is always room for a new philosophy. One thing is true, the statistics don’t lie. Good education is becoming like the dinosaur – extinct. If we are not careful, we will have generations of people who cannot function in society at all. Taxpayers will foot the bill from the uneducated generation coming down the road. There are already thousands of young people who are growing up without foundational skills. Companies cannot hire people that cannot read. That’s a fact. On the other hand, children are only as “smart” as we allow them to be. One thing is clear – if the school districts across the nation do not get a handle on this, then we are all in big trouble. In general, districts are reacting instead of pro-acting. Credit must be given to those stepping out of the regularly shaped boxes of the past to carve a new future of competency.
History can verify for us that a lack of education leads to higher crime and a stagnated economy. You don’t need a degree to come to that conclusion. Some economists are even referring to education as the “elephant” in the room that nobody wants to talk about. Others are referring to having an education as a Civil Right. When public education was started in this country, it was done so on the premise that an education would provide for a stronger economy and a better citizen. Somewhere along the way, politics and greed got in the way and left the children behind. Schools have failed because people (who were not educators) started adding their two cents into the equation. How many mayors, governors and other political candidates use a “better” education as part of their platforms? And, once in office, they claim a shortfall of funds. This shortfall doesn’t happen overnight. I prefer the Business Approach to teaching. I think business models have it just right. To me, this makes good common sense. As you join with me in this conversation, you will agree. My goal is to provide you with the information you need to know BEFORE you enter the classroom. As lagniappe, I feel compelled to “throw my two cents in” as well. Hopefully, before you switch careers, you will be more informed. Knowing the truth will enable you to be a stronger instructor. You will feel empowered because you entered with your eyes opened.
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