Teacher: Aaron Eyler
That “Let’s Do More Mentality”
Posted by Aaron Eyler on August 12, 2010
It’s in our nature to always want to “do more” to seek improvement. It isn’t our fault. It’s almost as though it’s built into our DNA. Not as educators but as a human race.
The problem with “let’s do more” is that it is based on some preconceived notion that we are doing it right in the first place.
Think, for a second, about a lot of people’s commentary when it comes to improving the current US economy. Investing in our economy to create jobs that are being outsourced already only means that when the money dries up, the jobs will too. Wouldn’t that money be better invested in new, innovative areas that will ensure a positive rate of return and keep jobs within the United States? How about looking at a field like “green energy” and finding ways that the United States can become a leading figure that brings jobs into the country.
Now, I don’t claim to be an expert on the current economic crisis (or economics at all), but if my assumptions are right, we’re doing the same thing with education in the United States. More reports, more classroom time, more, more, more without thinking about whether or not those improvements will leave any lasting results.
I see a lot of people who say “let’s do more” without really considering whether or not what they are doing is actually effective. This is the key ingredient that prevents education reform from being an even more important word: sustainable.
Doing more is good. But doing it right is even more important. Otherwise, doing more is useless.
My comment:
Teri Hampton September 21, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Hi, Mr. Eyler!
My name is Teri Hampton, and I am also a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. You can view our class blog at: edm310.blogspot.com and my blog at: hamptonteriedm310fall2010.blogspot.com. I will be posting a summary of your posts and my comments on October 10, 2010.
I really liked your post. I agree that more is not always better. We should step back and look at what the problems are with what we are doing now and fix those problems instead of just adding more work, reports, etc. My question for you is, what do we do to fix this problem? Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this particular issue. I hope to hear more from you.
When September Ends…
Posted by Aaron Eyler on October 3, 2010
I disdain and love September at the same time.
I love it because I’m back in the classroom and working with my students to learn their personalities as well as what we need to do to have a successful school year. I love that I get a new group of young, energetic minds that are just waiting for someone to engage them in American History as well as learning, in general.
These are all positives.
What I don’t enjoy are some of the realizations that come with the month of September. Much has been written about the “summer slide” with people positioning themselves on both sides of the fence. There are those that claim there is no such phenomenon and that extending the school year or providing summer assignments does little to correct the loss of understanding from previous year’s learning and those that advocate for year-round schooling because they believe it will eliminate the deficiencies that some students (particularly low SES sub-groups) face from 2.5 months of no instruction.
Enter my conversation with Tom Whitby yesterday at the “Tri-State Educational Technology Conference”.
I’m fortunate enough to work in a district that runs numerous programs for high and low-level students to take for enrichment. They are not mandated to attend, but every year there is a waiting list and numerous instances where parents must be turned away.
It isn’t that we don’t want to bring these students in. We simply don’t have the room, and some of these courses are already running at 30-35 students per class. The supply will simply never meet the demand so much so that we are toying with the idea of putting some online courses together for the coming summer in hopes that we can meet even more students’ needs.
So how does this all relate: September, the “summer slide”, and optional enrichment courses?
The question of whether or not districts should offer the courses is a waste of time. I believe we’d be hard pressed to find the district that wouldn’t run the courses if they had the money and resources to do so, correct?
I’m more interested HOW we can create opportunities for more districts to run these programs, and how we can utilize these courses to engage students in school.
Money may be the deciding factor in whether or not these course run, but I fail to believe that private entities would not be more willing to commit funding to programs over the summer than they are to programs during the school year. The cost is substantially lower given that there are far less students participating and far less teachers to employ at an hourly rate.
What interested me most about the conversation Tom and I had yesterday was that (to the best of my recollection) we didn’t waste time debating the positives and negatives of students going to school over the summer. We acknowledged that having school year-round would receive resistance from parents and teachers alike, but that offering students enrichment opportunities over the summer exists in some districts.
Here’s my point: we, as educators, need to be smart about the battles we pick. By providing students opportunities over the summer, we are offering families a chance to make decisions about the enrichment opportunities their children receive. Year-round schooling would only be logical if kids (parents, and teaches) came without the resentment that is sure to accompany such a practice. It fits nicely with what scientists know about motivation and human decision-making.
Mastery, autonomy, and purpose.
My Comment:
Teri Hampton October 11, 2010 at 12:16 am
Hi Mr. Eyler,
I think summer programs are an excellent idea. Of course it would be difficult to offer these programs everywhere, but where there is a will, there is a way. Right? If you could find a group of people that are passionate about doing something like this to help students, you could make a difference. Even if a small group of teachers volunteered at first, you would help more students than if you did not volunteer at all. You could have fundraisers, or ask for donations or sponsors. There are ways to make it happen if you are willing to put forth the effort. It may not be as big or extravagant as you would like for it to be, but with time it may grow into something huge. Just a thought.
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