The Lesson of Grace in Teaching | Hacker News Reader

The Lesson of Grace in Teaching

mathyawp.blogspot.com

23 pointsnpisenti6 comments

"[...]since my performance doesn’t define me, I don’t have to be the center of attention in my classroom. I can do experimental things, and fail. I can get out of the way of my students... I can open up the classroom for things like inquiry-based learning. I don’t have to be in control of everything. I don’t have to worry about what people will think of me."

Useful quote. This is a big issue in teaching. The increase in monitoring/criticism of the teacher's performance (at least in UK where I teach) leads to risk avoidance and increased conformity, at least in UK.

... leads to risk avoidance and increased conformity, at least in UK.

Isn't that the intention all along? Who stands to lose most were the boat rocked?

In the UK, the intention is to raise standards (italicised as this is a phrase used by politicians in different ways on different days and to different audiences). However, the 'normalisation' process is having exactly the opposite effect!

Our current government does like to show that the public sector has failed whenever they can. They have a small state/private enterprise agenda.

Some really thoughtful and enlightening words about teaching from an old math professor. Makes me realize the nuance great teachers bring to the classroom, which is something we too easily and too often overlook.

This attitude will go a long way toward healing our schools' deficiencies. My own school experience (in the USA) was pretty painful at times. Since graduation I've realized that I actually love learning - it's probably my greatest drive. School never failed me academically, but I picked up some unhealthy attitudes about trying and learning and succeeding which I've been trying to unlearn since. Lessons like:

  1. It is NOT ok to fail.
  2. Pointless exercises ARE ok - live with it.
  3. Don't ask why; just memorize the facts you'll be tested on. 
  4. Your uniqueness is a liability not an asset.

I need to add that I did have lots of fantastic teachers, many of whom expressed the grace the OAP articulated. I also realize that many young people have a fantastic experience in the current system.

Insufficient cynicism detected. Those lessons are more the point of school than the promotion of human flourishing that philosophers, sociologists or economists talk about when discussing what it's all for or The Good Life. All of those lessons are very useful ones nfor the majority, the overwhelming majority of people to have learned if you want industrial civilisation to keep going. You might be able to remove industrial from that last sentence.

The two best links, on the functions of school you'd guess from looking at how it works rather than how it's talked about, and on the real lessons school teaches, are directly below.

http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/08/functions-of-school.ht...

READ THIS IF NOTHING ELSE http://www.cantrip.org/gatto.html

School is not about learning what they purport to teach, it is certainly not optimised for learning.

http://www.overcomingbias.com/2011/07/sleepy-kids-learn-less...

http://www.overcomingbias.com/2011/06/only-do-math-homework....

School is great at socialising people to accept ranking, judgement and being told what to do.

http://www.overcomingbias.com/2011/08/teachers-as-dictators....

There are no large school systems, anywhere, that are not lineal descendants, ideologically or organisationally of ones designed for turning out soldiers.

http://www.overcomingbias.com/2012/05/schools-are-for-war.ht...

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