I wish there was a way for adults to see the fascinating things students get to learn at school. I'm working in a 4th grade classroom right now, and it is so fascinating. Is it bad to admit that almost everyday I am learning something new from the students, teacher, and the lessons themselves? Actually, since the reason I am in this classroom is to learn to be a better teacher, I would say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It really is amazing though, I wish the experience I am having right now could be duplicated for all the adults in our country.
I had lost the joy of learning new things, of being able to say I KNOW how that works, or why that works, and I can tell you. I'm so used to being able to Google what it is I want to know, and forgetting the information as soon as it's purpose has run it's course. In the classroom however, were you see this spiraling method of learning, where things are built upon previous knowledge, it is awesome to see how excited students get when they are asked to recall something they learned last week, month, or even in previous years. This realization of the great joy you can get from learning is coming at just the right time, and it is something I hope I will be able to pass onto all my current and future students.
I think one of the reasons a lot of us want to be teachers is to continue to learn and grow every day. I think children are some of the best teachers because they have not been boxed in by society in how they think about things yet.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it would be amazing if every adult could see what kids are really doing in school, especially those that like to talk about what bad shape our education system is in! I wonder how different the views on education would be if every citizen was required to spend one day a year volunteering at a local public school?