Know our Assumptions for Good
As adults, we still instinctively harbor assumptions that others parents
, teachers or peers inflict on us. These may presently be holding us back or restricting us in one way or another. In addition, if those same negative assumptions are affecting us, it's a sure bet that we are projecting them out to others our loved ones, our co-workers, our employers, our bosses, and our students if we are teachers. Let's take a look at some of the most common assumptions that we make.
1. Nobody really wants to learn so you have to use force or threat.
2. Learning must be monotonous and slow.
3. You cannot have fun and learn.
4. You cannot teach anyone anything unless you control them and force them to sit still.
5. Testing and rating are necessary.
6. Not everyone is smart.
7. Not everyone can pass.
8. Teachers are smarter than students.
The greatest grievance with education is the relentless use of fear to motivate students. Tests are used as threats to force kids to study rather than to find out how effective the system is or to identify what a teacher might do to reach students who are having trouble. As it is, the system forfeits a certain percentage of children for no other purpose than to frighten the others into working harder and complying with the system.
Perhaps using fear to motivate people has its time and place. The problem comes when it is used as the primary motivating tool for education young minds. We all come to this world with an exceptional gift. You can see it as an extraordinary radiance in the eyes of the newborn. It is inquisitiveness, a craving to learn and an enthusiasm to give. It is an intellect that resides in the heart. The true purpose of education is to marry this genius or gift with the mind so the person will be able to accomplish his or her purpose of destiny on this world. Once we have identified this gift in ourselves, it will direct us to learn what we must. This is a lifetime process.
Einstein said that "Motivation is more precious than knowledge." Our educational system's remorseless drive to force children to memorize questionable, often unprovable knowledge is humiliating the gift that exists in each of our hearts. Each of us knows that the more we force people to do something, the harder they oppose. The more we force students to study, the worse they will do. This purely exemplifies Newton's law: for every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. If we continue to use fear to motivate learning, we will lose one of the valuable assets we are given in this lifetime the gift of genius that each and every one of us receives at birth. Given that this is so, we all have a responsibility to get to know our assumptions and change those that fail to foster these gifts in ourselves as well as in others.
Academic instruction isn't the only responsibility teachers have in today's classrooms. More and more, teachers are being called on to teach students about values ... things like making good decisions, the showing of respect, taking responsibility, choosing friends, and having a positive attitude. It's a responsibility that could be overwhelming, considering the limited hours available in a school day, the number of kids in the classroom, and the diversity of backgrounds and personalities each child represents.
Character Education by Just Do The Right Thing" is a practical and powerful tool that equips educators to tackle values training with confidence.
By: Francis DavidKnow our Assumptions for GoodBy: Francis David
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