Everyone seems to be an expert on education these days, dancing around the latest hot topics concerning what’s wrong with our public education system. Memories of our own childhood classroom experiences sometimes affect our perception of higher learning. Let me ask you this: Were you a willing participant attending Wizard School, or did you end up an unwilling participant, an unfortunate Sweathog, in Mr. Kotter’s class?
I often hear my adult students blaming their elementary and secondary school teachers for their woefully lacking academic skills. “The reason I don’t understand the material,” I’ve heard them say, “is that my middle school teacher wasn’t willing to help me.” Am I supposed to dance along with their beliefs? Am I supposed to go along with their I hate disco therefore I'll torch all disco memorabilia diatribe?
Why is it easier to remember our negative school experiences? Why can’t we focus on the positive experiences?—Pay tribute to our favorite teachers. I should follow my own advice. One of my past blog postings honored my United States Presidency teacher by ridiculing his quirky habits.
The bottom line: We learn what we want to learn. For instance: I hate dancing. I refuse to learn how to dance. I'll never point my index finger in the air, ahh ahh ahh, stayin' alive, stayin' alive, ahh ahh ahh... Let's get serious here.
“This ain’t no party,
This ain’t no disco,
This ain’t no foolin’ around.”
The Talking Heads
Try to locate one of the following: Johnny Travolta or yours truly, JR Thumbprints. Oh, and in the words of Bon Jovi, “Have a nice day.”
13 comments:
2nd row, 2nd column, with the checkered shirt? The one who isn't smiling?
Second row third from the right. Couldn't find John though...I had good teachers all the way around until I hit Government class senior year. The guy was John Wayne all the way.
Hey Jim, we learn what we want to learn, indeed. Trying to inspire learning among the Kotter kids is neither disco nor party, certainly. They'll do much better in grad. school, though.
Second row, fourth to the right.
Couldn't agree more. Most of what I learned, I learned from watching my teachers rather than listening to them. Suspect the same is true now that I'm in the other seat.
I think I know, but I'm not telling. hahahahahahaha!
Jim, Now is the time to torch those Disco records "again" although this time in Comerica Park after the Tigers are moving on to the next round of baseball. Yea! --Bro, Ron
Jim, That looks like you in the brown suit and tie! --Bro, Ron
You're second row, fourth from the left. And you haven't changed a bit.
My grade 12 (or as you Americans say, 12th grade) English teacher, Mr. Chalmers, taught me to love Shakespeare. He would act out all the parts in the front of the class, and made it come alive. I will always remember him for that. That was his last year of teaching high school. The following year he became a university professor.
Wait a cotton-pickin' minute. Them's all white kids. (Except maybe the third kid from the left, row one [he's probably from Tuscon.]) What kinda town you grow up in anyhow?
Besideswise, that picture ought to be called the ear club.
Looks like 20 kids in class. Now a days we're talking 25-30 kids per class. Times are a changing.
Isn't that John Bovi????
as for teachers, I am/was "gifted" and if i did not like the teacher i would give them no better than a C. Shooting myself in the ass because I dont like how the info is presented - dumb but somewhat universal
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