5 ms·

IMO, for most people 1-2 really good teachers are all they need. Also, there is some value in teaching people that sometimes you just need to do what you're to

by craigyk 13y ago

IMO, for most people 1-2 really good teachers are all they need. Also, there is some value in teaching people that sometimes you just need to do what you're told... and that's coming from someone who has always been diagnosed as having "problems with authority". The article also doesn't really offer any viable alternatives for the average family. The "democratic schools" it describes sound nice, but I don't see how it can scale affordably given safety considerations. The "prison" system scales, and given how much money society seems willing to spend on schools, it's no surprise things have been pushed that way.

jug6ernaut 13y ago
> IMO, for most people 1-2 really good teachers are all they need. I could not agree with you more. At least this is the exact case for me. When i was in middle school i was considered below average, below my grade level. I changed schools to a new teacher(3rd grade). It quite literally changed my world. To this day I give that teacher a huge amount of credit for the person i am today. TL;dr;, yes, 1-2 teachers can make all the difference in the world for a student.
- mathattack 13y ago
  But wasn't a lot of money wasted on all those other years? Or are you suggesting that you need to waste that money for each classroom teacher to reach 1 or 2 a year? (And eventually everyone gets caught)
  - jug6ernaut 13y ago
    No i would not say so. Just like any other profession there are those who are better and worse. I am not saying that these other teachers did a bad job, hell a lot of them were great teachers. What i am saying is that even if they had been bad, it would not have made much of a difference as those few awesome teachers had already instilled in me what it takes to learn. I am of the opinion that if someone wants to learn, they will. But i also think it can take someone who tells you, shows you, and helps get to that point so you can know that its possible.
HarryHirsch 13y ago
Also, there is some value in teaching people that sometimes you just need to do what you're told... and that's coming from someone who has always been diagnosed as having "problems with authority". That of course requires that Those In Charge have the right sense of purpose, that they know what they are teaching and why they are doing it. George Polya had some words about is, and then there is this remark in Mark's Gospel, where the people "were astonished at [Jesus'] teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes."
mathattack 13y ago
The prison scales, but they are absolutely awful at what they do, and waste an incredible amount of money. I've seen some online curriculums that are promising, but that requires a parent to be at home. Some charters have some good ideas, but the charters that are scaling and getting high test scores seem to be masters of the prison model. I'm still optimistic on the charter side. Let us take the education dollars elsewhere!

by craigyk 13y ago

jug6ernaut 13y ago

> IMO, for most people 1-2 really good teachers are all they need. I could not agree with you more. At least this is the exact case for me. When i was in middle school i was considered below average, below my grade level. I changed schools to a new teacher(3rd grade). It quite literally changed my world. To this day I give that teacher a huge amount of credit for the person i am today. TL;dr;, yes, 1-2 teachers can make all the difference in the world for a student.

mathattack 13y ago
But wasn't a lot of money wasted on all those other years? Or are you suggesting that you need to waste that money for each classroom teacher to reach 1 or 2 a year? (And eventually everyone gets caught)
- jug6ernaut 13y ago
  No i would not say so. Just like any other profession there are those who are better and worse. I am not saying that these other teachers did a bad job, hell a lot of them were great teachers. What i am saying is that even if they had been bad, it would not have made much of a difference as those few awesome teachers had already instilled in me what it takes to learn. I am of the opinion that if someone wants to learn, they will. But i also think it can take someone who tells you, shows you, and helps get to that point so you can know that its possible.

HarryHirsch 13y ago

Also, there is some value in teaching people that sometimes you just need to do what you're told... and that's coming from someone who has always been diagnosed as having "problems with authority". That of course requires that Those In Charge have the right sense of purpose, that they know what they are teaching and why they are doing it. George Polya had some words about is, and then there is this remark in Mark's Gospel, where the people "were astonished at [Jesus'] teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes."

mathattack 13y ago

The prison scales, but they are absolutely awful at what they do, and waste an incredible amount of money. I've seen some online curriculums that are promising, but that requires a parent to be at home. Some charters have some good ideas, but the charters that are scaling and getting high test scores seem to be masters of the prison model. I'm still optimistic on the charter side. Let us take the education dollars elsewhere!