Returning Education to Excellence
By Marilyn Redmond
Education is being open-minded allowing individuals to be
themselves. As a retired teacher in the state of Washington, I understand
what an excellent education is. It is not about money, tests, or rigid teacher training;
it is about a balanced philosophy for left and right brain creativity.
Free thinkers do not accept tyranny, laws that
deprive freedom, and thought control.
As a public school teacher with more than
sixty years experience, I would like to explain about teaching. What is a
real education? In the fifties, we taught to the needs of the student, and
then it changed to the school district decided what we were to teach,
followed by the state mandates, then the federal government had "No
Child Left Behind".
Current philosophy has changed the learning of
our children, again. Test scores are only a number given to the results of the
performance by a student on a given day on a skill learned. To pigeonhole a
student with a number and compare them to another person takes away the
individuality of the student’s unique abilities and talents. Only if they
have the ability to be creative, intuitive, and offer ideas beyond the
confined thinking of the times is there real education.
The United States has departed from our pioneers in education: such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Abraham Maslow. Today, tests shame the student for not passing. This stops many students from graduating, and continuing on in their educational dreams. The focus needs to be on what a student does well to encourage a student to keep inspired. To compare one student with another is not real.
Friedrich
Froebel (b.1782) was an important contributor
to education through his theory on education. In America, education began with Horace Man (b.1796).
1 "Man gave equal attention to methods of teaching spelling and
arithmetic, the importance of music in school, and the contentment of physical
education to promote healthy living habits."
John Dewey (b.1859) adopted Froebel’s
principles in his experimental school at the University of Chicago. Their
belief in “self-activity” and play were essential factors in child education. Dewey believed that human beings
learn through a 'hands-on' approach. From Dewey's educational point of view, this means that students
must interact with their environment in order to adapt and learn.
It is
the current philosophy of teaching the students to think in a box for the test
rather than encouraging them to think outside the box. Teachers need to assist a student in finding their own
abilities while discovering learning is limitless. Even Bill Gates and Paul
Allen were allowed to use class time to work/play on computers. There is a movie, "Spare Parts, where the students were inspired and
encouraged to think with their imaginations. They were winners as high school
students, twice competing against the reigning victors, MIT. A balanced curriculum creates the
potential for grand outcomes and high self-esteem
A good teacher will drop out of the
field because they are sensitive people. I was taught "success
breeds success" in college classes for teachers' preparation. Recently, a
college instructor supervising student teachers told me that her college
students have problematic hoops and complicated challenges dictated from above
that are almost impossible. Albert Einstein held that "Education is not the learning of facts;
it’s rather the training of the mind to think".
You cannot teach a teacher to think with
his heart. Education is not teaching to fill a student with book learning. Left-brain
thinking is all about learning to pass a written test. Without a balanced curriculum, there is
a robot teacher teaching robot students.
With the changes of focus, creativity is
discouraged because book learning and test readiness takes priority. Every
grade has a test to pass and instruction for this test dominates the
curriculum. When I taught school, there were four standardized tests spaced
between grade school and high school. The teachers monitored the growth of each
student in regards to subjects.
My class had
been working in a math book that taught the principles of multiplication and
division besides the tables for multiplication. When my class totally completed
the section including two digit problems of the test accurately, the average
ability expected of a third grade student in math changed, dramatically. The
administration did not want to look like their school failed the standardized
test for their grade level in math.
The teacher were told to
return to our prior math books that taught by rote learning and memorization.
My teaching partner and I could not understand why the book that taught
principles and not just memorizing were not allowed when the scores were
outstanding. We were also denied acquiring spelling books that really taught
spelling, after the teachers spent two years piloting several programs for a
book that did the job. Education is not teaching to
fill a student with book learning.
In addition, several teachers
in my school had learned a program, The Slingerland Method. It included reading, English, spelling, phonics,
penmanship, art, physical education, and composition. It was teacher Some of my first graders were reading at 5th
and 6th grade level. Instead of
approving the method that surpassed the usual results in a year, the
administration told us that we had to use textbooks so the Board of Education
knew what page of the book we were on.
Did
the inspiration from the hearts of the students leave, when prayer was removed
from schools? When you remove prayer from school, the result is violence. Love
is the basis of prayer. Sadly, with this not supported in the school people
will act out from this missing. With a caring environment, there is productive,
harmony atmosphere. Therefore accepting Maslow's peak experiences, transcending the individual
ego brings a more advanced consciousness of
peace and creativity. Our inner lives will
promote insight and stimulation into higher consciousness of individual and
original thinking.
Drugging students to comply with a left-brain curriculum is
unscrupulous. They have talents the educational system is disregarding and their
futures are damaged. We learn from all
students and allow them to have their own personality and individuality not
forcing compliance preventing their contributions.
"Education is not the learning of facts; it’s rather
the training of the mind to think." Einstein Teach me and I
remember. Involve me and I learn". That is the kind of teaching I was
taught for student classroom learning in the university in the sixties.
This
week a friend told me that her daughter- in- law took a new teaching position
where they would allow her to have hands on learning rather than just book
learning. This offers hope for more real education.
Rev. Marilyn Redmond, BA. CHT, IBRT began
teaching in 1961.Marilyn is a retired teacher from public schools (k-12), adult
education, and college instructor. Marilyn currently is an award-winning
international writer, columnist (2), speaker, consultant, and counselor.
"To thine own self be true", is the best education we can teach She encourages, “Excellence in
Education”. Website: Angelicasgifts.com, angelicasgifts.com, books: http://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Redmond/e/B0069WIKDC,
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Lectures, interviews, and spiritual information on You Tube at
