Subject: Role of a Teacher

Posted by Della Robertson on 11/26/2004
In Reply To:Role of a Teacher Posted by John Gunkler on 11/26/2004

Message:

I have been teaching for 31 years--13 of them in various Catholic schools, and the last 18 at one high school in southern California. This shift in the role of the teacher and learner has been a focal point for at least 15 years. We are now part of Schlechty's Center for Leadership and School Reform, and Barry Richmond created a systems model incorporating Schlechty's Shaking Up the Schoolhouse as part of training he did for a small group of us at Norwalk High School. I am returning to many of the models that Barry created for us and am beginning to see the power of these "simple" models.
I think there is a lot of disagreement about what constitutes a quality education in terms of content. I am a science major who values the classics and sees them as important to a well-rounded education. I also know that "law and order" must prevail in a classroom before letting go. Believe me, I know what I am saying.

We do a bad job of sharing the "story" of teaching. Personalities get in the way with sharing. Younger teachers sometimes resent senior teachers' ideas, or they are conveyed in such a way that the newer teacher feels belittled. I am still learning about how to teach and am probably the only one at my school still trying to incorporate more and more of the systems tools in the biology curriculum which isn't that difficult, and the kids are quick to pick up causal loops and BOTGs. I just bought the new book by Quaden and Ticotsky and Lyneis, The Shape of Change. The kids will love the activities which will help illustrate the dynamics of systems. We are trying to build on our Recycling Program and create a Litter Clean Up Campaign using systems tools. I am limping along with these two new projects.

Getting back to the original thought, perhaps once enough people make the shift and the quality of education remains high, this "virus" will spread.

Della Robertson

Follow Ups:

Role of a Teacher - Roy Greenhalgh 11/27/2004