C4T #2

William Ferriter, an author, teacher, blogger, and professional development provider, has an amazing blog titled The Tempered Radical. The first post I commented on was titled Have We Made Things Too Easy For Kids. He begins by refelcting on on of his previous teachers that was the teacher every student dreaded. Shemade the kids responsible for their work whic made Ferriter pose the question of, have we made things too easy fo students. Here was my response to his post as well as his reply:

As a student and future classroom teacher, I think it important to instill some responsibility in students. While learning should not be a consequence, I think teaching, now, is too focused on entertaining students and making sure they ‘like’ the way the material is delivered. In addition, parents EXPECT teachers to practically give their child a passing grade although they do not put in the extra time with their child at home, check their planner for homework assignments, or communicate with their teacher. Mrs. Meanie Morosini may have seemed to be tough in your eyes but i’m sure you can agree that she instilled some good habits into you and your classmates.

September 30, 2013 - 7:41 am Bill Ferriter
Lauren wrote: In addition, parents EXPECT teachers to practically give their child a passing grade although they do not put in the extra time with their child at home, check their planner for homework assignments, or communicate with their teacher. - – - – - - This is the big difference for me, Lauren — and it’s probably MORE important to me than the conversation about students who need second chances. I’m all down with helping kids who need help because they come from struggling circumstances at home. What I’m not down with is helping families who couldn’t be bothered with school to begin with. When I was a kid, school was the number one priority. Period. End of discussion. Today, it seems like many parents see school as a nuisance that gets in the way of the rest of life while simultaneously expecting their kids to learn more and achieve at higher levels than ever before. Those dual expectations can’t coexist with one another. Any of this make sense? Bill

The second blog I commented on had a picture attached of an interactive white board that had words flipped every which way. Bill made a valid point by saying that until teachers, principals, and others that work for the school system learn what a highly engaged classroom looks like, there's no need to continuously waste money on pricey gadgets that are not benefitting the students.