Blog Post 10

An Open Letter to Educators by Morgan Bayda

Video by Dan Brown



Morgan points out how her educational classes for college have played a role in her learning experience. It's incredible to me how a basics course, like Biology or American Literature, can't even compare to an educational course, like EDM. Even though EDM doesn't meet in class much, I've spoken through email and comments to my fellow classmates than I do in a basics course, where we meet two or three times a week. For me, my teachers usually lecture using powerpoint or review what we have read, the students take notes rapidly, and after 50 minutes or so, the professor releases us and quickly leaves the room. Many of my teachers have no idea who I am, much less what my name is. I feel this is partially my fault for not asking many questions or visiting their office; however, the teacher should feel responsible for making sure the students feel comfortable to ask questions and create a professional relationship with him/her.

Education is such a valued thing. As a current college student, I'm seeing how the world has changed just since I was in high school. I can remember having to go to the library to do research because teachers didn't value internet sources. Now, it's so convenient for both professors and students to use the internet to catch plagiarism and accurate information. I'm sure that when I become a teacher, technology will be on an even more advanced level. However, unlike many teachers, I am not afraid to change and create new, better ways to do things. I would not recommend dropping out of college due to the requirements most jobs now require.

As Dan Brown says, "Information is now free." It's just up to us as learners to put forth effort to receive it.

Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home

In this post, one teacher sees pencils as a great tool and the other sees them as a handicap because the standardized test scores were shown to be lower. I pulled some of the quotations from the original post but the entire post can be found here.

"It's not that, either. I have a journal article about how students who use pencils at home have lower standardized test scores. So, for the love of test-taking, we need to stop our students from taking home pencils..."

But, how do you keep them accountable at home? They'll just use the supplies to play Hang Man. Such a sick and twisted game!"

"I don't hold them accountable. I try and find projects that keep them interested. But if they choose to play Hang Man or go on the pen pal networks, I'm okay with it. There's probably some learning that's taking place that we don't realize."

"Okay, you keep telling yourself that, but don't blame me when your test scores are lower." I love the use of "your" right here, as if I am the one taking the drill-and-kill tests.

My reply:
Hello! I am a student in EDM 310 at South Alabama, majoring in Elementary Education. Like many of the other comments, while reading this post, I saw that Gertrude pointed out the problem and had no solution, except to take pencils out of the equation. I found this very unfair to the teachers and especially the students. Creativity needs to be pushed more, not taken away from children. This is hurting their future. It's so much more than just a standardized test score. Hangman could be a great way to use pencil and paper! If the children are using their minds to think critically, who cares whether its to play hangman or basic homework? This post really makes me wonder just how many teachers think this way. How many teachers are seeing the potential in children and the tools they're given?
I want to be set apart. A teacher should always promote creativity, and never look down upon it. Thanks for this post! Very interesting!