Education is a diverse and universal system. Without education, societies and our world as we know it would fall apart. Learning is such a key aspect and a basis for growth and development throughout all of our life. There is learning within all countries, nationalities, ages, and status. We would be nothing without it, and it is something that should be greatly valued.
Everyone in the world today is not fit to be a teacher. Not only should a teacher possess the knowledge, but the job requires patience, dedication, exuberance, hard work, and willingness to put in the time to develop not only your students but also yourself. It is important to realize that many teachers in the field today are not considered “good” teachers. To be a good teacher, one must understand that all students are different. Not every student learns in the same way or is going to put in the same amount of effort. A teacher must be willing to discover how their student is going to learn and then help them achieve their highest potential in that way. The "bad" teachers are the ones who don’t recognize they have to look deeper within a student. They perceive certain students as dumb or lazy when that student just functions in a way that a bad teacher doesn’t understand. Therefore, education is not an easy field to enter and being a teacher requires many more qualities than simply being knowledgeable.
In our education system, it has been proven that each person learns differently than the next. One teaching strategy does not work for all students, which is why teachers have worked together to find out which methods are the most beneficial. Some examples of these different teaching methods are a demonstration, lecture, and discussion teaching. Most students have found that demonstration teaching has had the most success. This is a method of teaching where the instructor actually performs the task in front of the students showing them what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. The other type of teaching is called lecturing. In this case, an instructor delivers information to students verbally while standing before a class usually expecting students to take notes while listening. And lastly discussion as a teaching method which is a collaborative exchange of ideas among a teacher and students or among students for the purpose of furthering students thinking, learning, problem-solving, and understanding. These are only a few different teaching methods, and it is important while in a classroom to understand that maybe these methods will not work for everyone.
When you hear the word “school”, do you picture the typical classroom setting with a teacher standing in front of the whiteboard? Many people do, but that’s now the only way to educate students. There are many different schooling options to fit the needs of different kids. Some of which include:
· Public schooling
· Private schooling
· Homeschooling
· Online schooling
· Tutoring
· Blended/Hybrid schooling (online, and in the classroom)
However, learning should never just be confined to a classroom, or demonstrated from a textbook, especially if formal teaching isn’t reaching certain students. So many kids learn differently and need other options, such as hands-on or visual learning. As discussed in one of our previous blog posts, there are many real-life situations that offer the opportunity to absorb something new or gain a new skill. We are doing children a huge disservice if we as teachers do not encourage obtaining knowledge and information outside of the typical school setting.
Culture plays a huge role in the way student’s learning styles develop, their different approaches to reflective learning, the role they play in group collaboration, and the way they partake in nonverbal behavior. Based on the way a student's culture shapes how they were raised, they will approach developing all of these essential learning aspects differently. Traditional teaching methods are not sensate to students cultural beliefs. What teachers are taught in typical preparation courses is not always the best approach, which they sometimes do not understand, before they see specific students struggling. In response, students get frustrated when the teaching style they are exposed to does not help them grasp the information, and the instructors also feeling the same aggravation. Teachers do not enjoy seeing students struggle, but the issue they run into is that, as a teacher, they were really only taught to teach for one general culture, so they are unsure of how to make a change. Lastly, the culture of different states and countries also impacts the education system. Depending on the state or country, there are different regulations. Some of which include, a number of required school days, the general education requirements, the standardized testing requirements, etc.
We've all heard the common phrase, “He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.” This saying publicly questions the value of teaching. Many of the most influential people in our lives have been educators. Not just anyone is able to put the amount of patience, care, and compassion into their professions as teachers are able to. They work longer days than most people are actually aware of, just to repeat the cycle again the next day. Teachers are up making lesson plans for their weeks before their teaching day even begins, then go through an eight-hour work day, only to be presented with hours more of grading each night. They are underpaid and underappreciated yet they dedicate their lives to helping others learn and progress. That is not something people should ever question the value of.
Education is something that is crucial to everyone, in all walks of life. It is diverse and vast. There is always new knowledge to be gained and to be shared. That gives education and teaching a unique quality, it is universal. Without learning, we as humans would be stagnant. To get anywhere in this life, it is key to have a great education. It is something that has been fought for, strived for, and unfortunately wished for in many countries. It is necessary to recognize the importance of what most of us take for granted, and it is important to ask yourself, where would you be without education?
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