4 ms·

my boomer-aged mother is a PE teacher for K-6th graders in the US. She had to run Zoom PE classes for about six months...it was interesting to watch her learn a

by avs733 5y ago

my boomer-aged mother is a PE teacher for K-6th graders in the US. She had to run Zoom PE classes for about six months...it was interesting to watch her learn a new competency. There are ways to do it, but the fear that she could potentially not be in control of her classroom at ANY MOMENT was something to behold and says something about our education system's focus and beliefs. There was a lot of information from me and my siblings with her on how to do it and options she could pursue to make online PE class engaging...fun times

dhosek 5y ago
For a time I taught high school and later college. The key difference between the two jobs is apparent in the interview process. For a high school teaching job, the interviewer wants to know how you will manage the behavior of the students in the room. For a college teaching job, the interviewer wants to know how you will impart your subject matter to the students. Classroom management is easily the most important aspect of K-12 teaching.
- avs733 5y ago
  I would argue classroom management is the biggest focus of K-12 teaching not the most important aspect. It speaks to our educational systems priorities and structure not its function
  - dhosek 5y ago
    If you haven't been at the front of a K12 classroom (and I mean really in front, not the guest lecturer with the teacher in the room to keep things in order), you're not qualified to make that statement. The fact of the matter is that you're with a room full of children. If you can't manage them you can't teach them. Without classroom management, you will fail at everything else. It's easy to forget this when you see a skilled/experienced teacher at the front of the room. They've internalized the management to a level that makes it almost invisible to an onlooker, but it's very much there.

4 ms·

my boomer-aged mother is a PE teacher for K-6th graders in the US. She had to run Zoom PE classes for about six months...it was interesting to watch her learn a

by avs733 5y ago

dhosek 5y ago
For a time I taught high school and later college. The key difference between the two jobs is apparent in the interview process. For a high school teaching job, the interviewer wants to know how you will manage the behavior of the students in the room. For a college teaching job, the interviewer wants to know how you will impart your subject matter to the students. Classroom management is easily the most important aspect of K-12 teaching.
- avs733 5y ago
  I would argue classroom management is the biggest focus of K-12 teaching not the most important aspect. It speaks to our educational systems priorities and structure not its function
  - dhosek 5y ago
    If you haven't been at the front of a K12 classroom (and I mean really in front, not the guest lecturer with the teacher in the room to keep things in order), you're not qualified to make that statement. The fact of the matter is that you're with a room full of children. If you can't manage them you can't teach them. Without classroom management, you will fail at everything else. It's easy to forget this when you see a skilled/experienced teacher at the front of the room. They've internalized the management to a level that makes it almost invisible to an onlooker, but it's very much there.