Comments on: Education is…. http://theclassroom.ca/2007/02/education-is/ Thoughts and Resources for Teachers Sun, 08 Aug 2010 19:56:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Lisa http://theclassroom.ca/2007/02/education-is/comment-page-1/#comment-74 Lisa Sun, 11 Mar 2007 21:25:34 +0000 http://theclassroom.ca/2007/02/10/education-is/#comment-74 What is education? Simply put, but much more complexly fulfilled. I think it's preparing our youth for life. Now, that includes many things: the knowledge base and work ethic that will allow them to pursue their interests and be successful in their career, the ability to make difficult decisions when the world calls upon them, and the social skills to become well-rounded and contributing members of society. It's not the daily math drills, or the ability to recite tons of historical dates, or even craft the neatest handwriting - it's "everything that remains after one has forgotten what he learned in school". The ability to stand on your own two feet and be the very best that you can be. How did this one woman at teachers convention put it? We can teach them everything we know, but they'll still need to know more to live in their adult world. We have to teach them how to learn and find things out for themselves too! What is education? Simply put, but much more complexly fulfilled. I think it’s preparing our youth for life. Now, that includes many things: the knowledge base and work ethic that will allow them to pursue their interests and be successful in their career, the ability to make difficult decisions when the world calls upon them, and the social skills to become well-rounded and contributing members of society. It’s not the daily math drills, or the ability to recite tons of historical dates, or even craft the neatest handwriting – it’s “everything that remains after one has forgotten what he learned in school”. The ability to stand on your own two feet and be the very best that you can be. How did this one woman at teachers convention put it? We can teach them everything we know, but they’ll still need to know more to live in their adult world. We have to teach them how to learn and find things out for themselves too!

]]> By: Danny Maas http://theclassroom.ca/2007/02/education-is/comment-page-1/#comment-22 Danny Maas Sun, 11 Feb 2007 06:37:11 +0000 http://theclassroom.ca/2007/02/10/education-is/#comment-22 I remember as a student teacher and also as a beginning teacher moments of panic where I realized that the greatest determining factor in the children's education was ME. Breathe in... breathe out... What an exciting and positively frightening thought at times. Yet I also recall a wise principal once consoling me with the notion that 'they will learn despite us'. So what is education? For me, aside from covering the curriculum outcomes in the program of studies, education is: - learning how to learn, how to ask questions, how to work collaboratively with others, and how to solve problems - developing a love for learning, a love for others, a love for life (and as a Catholic educator a love for God) - developing the confidence and belief in oneself to take risks in learning new things, to accept new challenges, and to solve problems Once again, a very thought-provoking question Mr. G! Danny I remember as a student teacher and also as a beginning teacher moments of panic where I realized that the greatest determining factor in the children’s education was ME. Breathe in… breathe out… What an exciting and positively frightening thought at times. Yet I also recall a wise principal once consoling me with the notion that ‘they will learn despite us’.

So what is education? For me, aside from covering the curriculum outcomes in the program of studies, education is:
– learning how to learn, how to ask questions, how to work collaboratively with others, and how to solve problems
– developing a love for learning, a love for others, a love for life (and as a Catholic educator a love for God)
– developing the confidence and belief in oneself to take risks in learning new things, to accept new challenges, and to solve problems

Once again, a very thought-provoking question Mr. G!
Danny

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