What I’ve Learned On-Line

What’s the biggest thing I’ve learned from starting my bloglines account, reading others, entering the on-line world of professional discussion on education, and writing here at G-Town talks? It’s all about coming to school, no, to life,  willing to learn.

By participating.  As adults. With a hunger to learn, a curiosity, asking the big questions, acknowledging that I don’t have all of the answers, willing and eager to look for them. This is the future of education.

Knowing how to think, to research, to read and reflect and respond. Knowing how to find the information I need, when I need it, and to evaluate it so that I can use it productively.

For everyone who doesn’t have the time or the inclination to learn, do you really think you already have all of the information you need to: A. be the best educator you can be  and  B. to lead the best life you can lead? Do we really have educators who think they learned everything they need to know to do their job effectively in college? Five, or ten, or twenty, or thirty years ago. That’s mind-boggling to me. I don’t even remember what I learned then. It’s what I’m learning every day, RIGHT NOW, that changes the way I see the world and do business. How can anyone just stay inside their own head, spinning around in what they think is the source of all knowledge? The teacher? Or the textbook?

I simply don’t get that.

6 Comments
  1. Pingback: Change Agency - Advocating a better education system for the 21st Century. » Will Richardson on Connective Writing (TCEA 2007)

  2. Bry:
    Now imagine having gone through law school, practicing for three years, deciding that it was not the legacy you wanted to leave behind, and becoming a teacher. Passion found – but the response from people is “Are you crazy?”

    For that reason – I don’t often share my “previous life.” It causes too many complications and hiccups in conversations. I didn’t become a teacher because I couldn’t cut it in law or because I wanted my summers off – I did it because I wanted to make a difference. I am hoping the kids that sat in my classroom felt that I did – and I hope I am still having an impact now. I might never know – but I know that I made the right choice in professions, it just took me longer to get there!

  3. In response to the comment left previously by Bry, I would just like to say–right on! You’re right about the kinds of teachers I want my kids, and grandkids, to have someday.
    So when my days here are done and I’ve made all the difference I could, I now know that my kid “gets it” and that’s the best difference I could have made. I can’t wait to see the teacher you become. Don’t ever lose that passion, that curiosity that took you to an archery class last week and pushes me to take painting classes with you next week. Thanks for posting this great comment (side note, would have been a bit better without the use of bull crap, but it makes your point). And teachers are in more than the business of passing knowledge, it’s finding and sharing knowledge. Proud of you kid.

  4. To start off, I totally agree with this post. Truly great teachers should engage in learning not only to do their job more effectively but also because they want to learn, for pure curiosity’s sake. I feel each profession requires a certain type of individual. Not everyone can be a brain surgeon (I definitely couldn’t), but the same goes for teaching. Teachers are in the business of passing knowledge along to their students. So, should they not also be in the business of gaining new knowledge and insight from every source possible. Teachers need to be individuals that thrive on knowledge and allow their own curiosity to lead them down new avenues. Somewhere along the line it seems as if teaching has gotten an easy rap. As a first year pre-law student the general response to my major was “ouoou, wow that must be so challenging”, it was as if merely by mentioning the words pre-law student my intelligence was implied. Now, as a second year elementary education major (and much happier I might add) the response I receive is generally “oh, that’s nice”, end of story. This is extremely frustrating to me. Teaching is not something ANYONE can do. Teachers affect our future in a big way so the attitude of “there are people that are good and people that are bad in every profession” I would argue is bull crap! As my mom often says teaching is about life long learning. Those who don’t feel that way should find a new profession. Everyday in my education class an outside observer could look around the room and see what kind of teacher we as students are going to be. Of course there are some exceptions, but the boy who sleeps from the time the professor says hello to the time he says dismissed, come on who wants their child in his class?

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