So, I was browsing through Hastings the other day waiting for my boys to get done watching Green Lantern - (I did not feel up to
another super hero movie)
anywho I found a book that
apparently will solve all of our problems in 49 steps if we just read the book and watch their DVD along with it. The name of the book is
Teach Like a Champion by Doug
Lemov and we can become a
Jossey-Bass Teacher - I think they were the publishers/ program - It says 49 Techniques that put students on the path to college. It is for K-12 teachers. I flipped through the book to see what it was about and I got a little riled up and one of my first reactions was "of
geez, I hope my school capacitor and principal doesn't see this because I can see us using this in our school improvement process and watching the videos to see good teaching." The chapter I read was called "100 percent" and their premise was that every student should be actively engaged in the lesson 100 percent of the time and be 100 percent proficient in every lesson and you as a teacher are doing something wrong if they are not. There was a chapter about not allowing the children a chance to contemplate and sit - they need to be "100 percent" all engaged and all in - no one can opt out and if the students take time to think and not immediately do the lesson then you as the teacher have failed. I flipped around more and
realized that this is a "how to manual" and if you just follow these 49 steps you to can be an excellent teacher.
Which gets me thinking about a point that I have always come back to - is a teacher "born or made"? I think that teachers have a natural inclination for teaching - thus being born - but we learn skills that we hone that make us better. We also have a natural inclination towards different age groups and subjects. I could never teach older grades like high school 1. they are taller than me and 2. all those hormones and attitudes are so intimidating and annoying ;) and I know that many of you could never teach the younger grades. We have natural gifts for different age groups and I am glad we do!
I think this book annoys me because it made it seem that anyone can teach if they follow these 49 steps and these 49 steps do not allow for individual styles or the children's differences.
These were my thoughts and I wanted to share. What do you think?
PS: Good luck on your school year! I hope it's wonderful and full of joy and song!
