Oh yes they would. Kids are like little adults (:p) in that they don't like being "made" to do something! It is possible to engage kids for a certain amount of time in activities that are fun and educational, but not every moment of every day. Trust me... I know. Teachers are human too ya know... and teachers have off days too. Not to mention outside factors affect both teacher and student. Little Johnny's parents might being going through a divorce, and little Susie's house is in turmoil because they are about to be evicted, while little Tony's father just got put in jail, and little Jeff's brother has been diagnosed with cancer, and little Rebecca's mom just had a baby, and little Nancy's dad beat up her mom, and little Tommy hasn't had anything to eat because mom was passed out drunk. I could go on because there's oh so much more.... and those example are right out of my own class. Now...let's look at the teacher here.... let's see... this morning she had to get her own kids off to school, the car wouldn't start, she did remember to take the stack of bills with her so she could perhaps pay them on her lunch break (if she gets to take one), she got things ready for dinner that night before she left the house, managed to get a ride to work, and that's all before 8AM. Once at work, there's a pile of paperwork to be done, report cards to be filled out, and things to get ready for the day's lessons. But a co-worker called in sick so Ms. Teacher now has to monitor the kids until the first morning bell rings. Ms. Teacher is also concerned about she is going to pay the $800 medical bill she got in the mail yesterday, as well as all the other bills, she's so financially strapped that she's about to lose her house, and again the list goes on and on. Ms. Teacher knows that in many of her student's lives she is the only positive, the only constant. And Ms. Teacher is a good teacher, and devotes herself to her students, and her family, often to the point of ignoring her own needs. All for less than $15,000 a year.
It is not the EXACT reason why kids hate it. They hate it because it's a "have to" thing. Much like "clean your room" or "wash the dishes". Not everything in life is going to be fun, but that's no reason to do it poorly. Now is the prime time for children to learn that all important work ethic. Make that life ethic. Do your best no matter what. There are things that you must learn, and they just aren't going to be FUN.
That's **** and you know it. How the heck is a teacher supposed to custom teach every student? I do the best I can, but I have rules I must go by. We do have the practice of individualizing for every student, and we do the best we can. But to say "won't" is a slap in the face to those teachers who do indeed try. Teachers are people too ya know... we do have lives outside of school, just like everybody else. We have worries and struggles too. How much of yourself do you invest in your job? How much of your heart and soul do you put into your work? I promise you that good teachers worry about their students long after the school day is over. When the student hurts, so does the teacher. When the student succeeds, the teacher celebrates... not because SHE taught that student something, but because the student learned something. It's always about the student, and never about how good of a job the teacher did teaching.
It is about "can't"!!! Schools are under funded, and teachers underpaid, yet the teacher still gives it her all even when it's not "fun". Often times teachers spend money from their own pocket in order to provide better learning experiences for students. Money that teachers really don't have to spare, yet they find a way to do it anyway. How do I know???
Because I AM one of those teachers. I have limited school funds to spend on my classroom for the things I need to make it "fun" for my little ones. Therefore, I am always looking for bargains and such to purchase toys, games, and other such novelty items that I think my kids would enjoy and might get them to exercise their mind in a different direction.
Can I get a neck rub instead? :p I have a killer headache.
You think so eh? Possibly... but who's going to pay for that? Who's going to buy the materials? Who's going to fund the "field trip"?
Here, we have programs that kids can be involved in where they do build houses, and then sell them to fund the program. We also have a program with cars... the kids repair the cars, and the sell them to fund the program. Great programs, but few in number because such programs cost a lot of money to keep them going. Not to mention the liability involved. What if a kid gets hurt?
Next... your idea might put most of the kids in their "learning glory", but again that's not all of them. I have a kid in my class that can tell you how a lightbulb works, but couldn't figure out how to flip the switch to turn the lights on. For her... hands on "learning" doesn't work. She needs the text book learning in order for things to make sense to her. For most people you seemingly have to "dumb" things down for them to make sense. For her, I need to smarten them up for her to grasp even the most rudimentary concepts.
This is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. By limiting a child's exposure to learning "because they won't need it" limits their potential. If a child is never exposed to anything beyond the basics, then how will they ever find out what they are good at? Not going beyond the basics is detrimental to a child's potential.
Exactly! One must be able to present one's ideas in a manner that is easily understood by the majority. But that's not how most kid's talk. However, by knowing multiple ways to do things allows every person a choice. If you don't know better, then you don't have a choice. But if you do have the knowledge, then you CAN choose whether or not to put that knowledge into practice.
Again this is ****. Kid's break windows because they haven't been taught not to. Because the system says if you correct your kids you are abusing them. Many child psychologists say don't scold your child for writing on the wall. Praise him for his artwork and then give him paper to nurture his creative side. Kids are wise to the fact that if their parent's scold them too harshly, then they can report their parents for child abuse.
A word of advice to any and all people .... work in the system before you start complaining about it. I promise that until you do, you haven't got a clue as to how deep the rabbit hole goes. You have no idea how hard it is to be a good teacher, you have no idea of the rules teachers must follow, and still turn out "good" students, nor do many of you have a clue to how kids operate. Take a child development class, go volunteer in a classroom. Really get to know what goes on behind the scene. Walk in a teacher's shoes for awhile. See what she sees. School isn't just academics anymore. Because of today's society, the classroom is a place for behavior management, emotional counseling, social development, and meeting a child's basic needs (even to the point of feeding them), all before academics can even take place.
After reading the few posts in this thread (some of which I may have missed because I took so long to reply), not one of you (JEB included) has a clue to what school has become, or what children need. First and foremost you must meet a child's basic needs before they can even begin to learn. A hungry child will not be able to focus. An abused child will find it hard to try. A homeless child is more concerned about where they will sleep than what sound the letter "A" makes. A child whose father is in jail is too worried about where daddy is to focus on much of anything. A child whose mom just had a baby is afraid of being forgotten and is going to act out to make sure they are seen. A child whose mom was passed out drunk, darn sure didn't get to bed on time and is going to be too tired to get much out of "fun learning." So a teacher must feed the hungry, love the abused, comfort the homeless, calm the worried, praise the forgotten, provide rest to the weary, and somehow get all of her students to believe in themselves, all before she can teach them anything other than those life skills mentioned.
How many of you do that everyday at your job?
