Blog Assignment #10

Do you Teach or Do you Educate?

How do I intend to educate rather than just teach? Well, I believe that I can effectively educate beginning with honest teaching. This done by giving students fair and honest praise or criticism. This includes honest praise and criticism of the education system. I don't think any educator should view themselves as practicing honest teaching if he or she passively acknowledges success or passively ignores failures in the schools. The next key to educating is being compassionate. Every educator should care about their purpose and those within their realm of influence. A teacher should share their emotions and conversations, not only with a student that he or she likes but as well with those that may be reserved or the school bully. Everyone, no matter what age, gender, or race wants to be in the company of someone who cares for them. Essentially we are forcing kids into the school system, so the least that should be done for them is that there are adults who care for them in schools. It is very simple or natural, children hang on to their parents words when there is the strong belief that the parent cares for them and is interested in the child. That mindset is not reserved only for the parent-child relationship. I see it in marital relationships as well, even politicians attempt to play on it by preaching that they have the masses' best interest in mind.

Those are the tools I think one can use to educate. When we feel someone is dishonest we may question their teachings and whether or not they actually care about us as a person. I have never thought anyone who cared for me should lie to me, in any form for any reason. Interestingly enough, my assigned blog post for this week's comment for teachers sort of touched on this idea. This poem was included:

“I have come to a frightening conclusion.

I am the decisive element in the classroom.

It is my personal approach that creates the climate.

It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous.

I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.

I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.

In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis

                        will be escalated or deescalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized.”                
This simply reads that educators should care about the students they come in contact with. If they do, educating those students will be that much easier.


Tom Johnson

"Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home" is a blog that refers to technological devices as pencils. There are two contrasting characters, Gertrude and a teacher that I will call Mr. Johnson. Gertrude warns Mr. Johnson that allowing the students to take the devices home will lower their standardized test scores. Mr. Johnson refutes her argument through his explanation of the advantages when using technology.
So if technology will be used as a tool in the learning process, it should be realized that students will become more skilled and productive with that tool the greater the opportunity is to access the tool becomes. Allowing the students to take the devices home, where they spend the most of their time, would allow them to become more comfortable with using tech devices.