If you asked a politician, a business leader, a teacher, a parent, and a student what the purpose of education is, you're likely to get five different answers. In his article titled "Redefining Teachers with a 21st Century Education 'Story'," Thom Markham of MindShift explains how education has been stuck, for the last 150 years, in an "endless wash cycle" of differing beliefs of what education should be. Two of the most prevalent ideologies are the idea of student-based learning that emphasizes personal growth and citizenship, and the idea of scientific, standardized education that emphasizes measurable results. And while this tug-o-war of academic philosophies continues, Markham has some words of advice for teachers. Firstly, he asks that teacher appreciate the importance and the challenge of being a teacher in the 21st Century. He says that a teacher's "passion, vision, and sense of mission" will dictate how well they perform but that those qualities must be accompanied by appreciation for the opportunity to do such a momentously important job.
Secondly, Markham suggests that teachers dream big when it comes to their goals. Teachers shouldn't limit their vision to just their class or school. Teachers everywhere are aiming to help their students get out of poverty, prepare them for adulthood and successful careers, and shape the world for the better. Markham wants all teachers to be apart of that global dream. Thirdly, Markham challenges teachers to "redefine smart." High test scores and proficiency exams are great for statistics and getting state and federal funding, but as teachers, we need to be trying to elicit more general, life-long skills from our students. They need to hone in on their curiosity, their resiliency, and their critical thinking. These attributes are harder to measure and arguably even harder to teach, but they're what teachers should be striving toward. Lastly, Markham tells teachers to connect with the global teaching community. Communicating and sharing ideas among peers can reduce stress and help us gain insight into the profession. Overall, I don't disagree with Markham's suggestions. He makes valuable suggestions that I think would benefit most teachers. The only point of contention I have with his article is the comparison made between high-performing organizations and education in the United States. It's true, successful and innovative businesses these days incentivize employees by creating a desirable work environment that gives employees freedom, respect, and challenging goals. However, this employer/employee dynamic is a give and take in which rewarding, successful businesses want talented, highly motivated employees and talented, highly motivated individuals want to work at rewarding, successful businesses. In other words, instead of looking at the big picture, Markham is looking at one segment of the business world and asking, "Why isn't U.S. education like this?" Using this same logic, you might look at the institution of high school basketball and ask, "Why don't they play like the Golden State Warriors?" It's not fair or accurate to take a micro-environment such as top performing organizations and compare it to a macro-environment such as the entire U.S. education system. Nevertheless, Markham's advice is well received and, at the very least, a much needed pep talk for struggling educators. Markham, T. (February11, 2015). Redefining teachers with a 21st century education 'story'. MindShift: How we will learn. Retrieved from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/02/11/redefining-teachers-with-a-21st-century-education-story/
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AuthorGeorge Porter, English Teacher at Sage Creek Archives
May 2016
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