How Has Teaching Changed?
Posted by Debra Liverman on 13 Nov 2008 | Posted in: Teachers and Teaching
As I was going through some old photos, I ran across a picture of my fifth-grade class from my very first year of teaching. I tried to imagine what some of those students, now in their midtwenties, might be doing. I’m sure they’ve changed so much that I may not recognize them. Then I started reflecting on all the changes I’ve seen in teaching over the years. There have been many of them!
So here’s a question for all the veteran teachers out there: how has teaching changed since you started your career?
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32 Responses to “How Has Teaching Changed?”
More Comments Pages: « 1 2 [3] Show All Comments
More Comments Pages: « 1 2 [3] Show All Comments
In our district, we are not even allowed to use The Mailbox activities in class. Every single thing has to be in preparation for THE TEST! If it doesn’t look like THE TEST so the kids can’t practice their strategies, we don’t use it.
Our librarian got rid of every single copy of our subscription from The Mailbox and Teacher’s Helper two years ago. I still squeeze some in when I can but now there is little time. I miss the good old days!!
I have been teaching preschool for 30 years. Some of the biggest changes are the families. In the late 70’s, there weren’t many single parent families or blended families. Now,most of the children fit in theses categories, and living with 2 original parents is rare. I watch kids cry as they transition from 2 days with mom and 4 days with dad, and lots of grandparents fill in the gaps.These children need extra love, and are at school all day 7:00 to 5:30,so the teacher spends time with the child more than the parents. The other change is that we used to do lots of art,free play, music and fun stuff….now we have to squeeze in all the academics too, because children learn to read in kindergarten, and the schools expect the children to be “ready to learn”. Despite it all, I still enjoy teaching, and you have to be creative to make sure there is a balance of academics and all the fun stuff preschoolers need.
I’ve been teaching since 2002, and when I first started, the higher-ups all said, “Don’t teach to the test [FCAT].” Now they are saying, “If it’s not on the test, don’t waste time on it” and “This is how it is on the test, so this is how you need to be teaching it” and basically “Teach to the test.” It’s ridiculous. In addition, there are too many people who think there is only one way to teach, and if you are not teaching it that way the kids are not learning. I know my students better than some company who comes in and demands (it is not suggested) that we teach the way they tell us to. Why? Because it produces better test scores. We need to concern ourselves with teaching children life skills rather than test skills.
I agree with each of the teachers that have replied to the question: How has teaching changed? I teach 1st grade also in a very competitive school district. My campus is the leader in the district in reading instruction. We use a small group, guided and leveled reading program based on Balanced Literacy. As I look back over the years, I have to admit that this is the only way to teach young children to read. Using whole class basal reading instruction just won’t cut it. But the “higher beings” need to realize that 6 year olds need to be 6 year olds. Lets stop comparing our educational system to that of China and Japan. Let’s produce well educated, well mannered, well behaved individuals that can cope with the world problems without having to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. We are producing a society that is a nervous wreck at a very early age. Let’s get back to the basics in the young years.
All I have are three words. Too Much TESTING! It’s sad.
When I started 10 years ago I was the cliche Kindergarten teacher who did all the cute projects. I have now been in 1st grade for the past 5 years and it is next to impossible to fit in any kind of project. They have loaded us down with the “quick fixes” so that there is no time in the day for the kids to be kids.
Like Jean we only have 15 minutes for recess, who is the person that thought a 6/7 year old child only needs 15 minutes. I wish that instead of worrying about performance the government would worry about how stressed these kids will be when they are older.
I am all for high expectations but if you don’t have the time to devote to the study of a particular subject what good is it going to do?
I agree with Darlene. We use a direct instruction reading program which doesn’t allow for much creativity. We have 105 minutes & they are packed with reading, spelling, language, & lots of worksheets (ugh)! Our writing block is a bit more free, but the children have a hard time being creative because they’re are so used to being told what to say & when to say it. There is little time in our day to do those “fun” learning activities because we are so afraid we will have a classroom walk-through & the kids will be a bit noisy. We usually have about 15 minutes to play outside, & for 1st graders, that just isn’t enough. Our children are learning a lot, but I wonder what the stress of our over-loaded day is doing to them in the long-run.
It seems that kindergarten is the new first grade.
Pre-kindergarten is the new kindergarten, and Head Start is the new pre-kindergarten. I feel so sorry for today’s children, adults seem to think that these young children are computers. They are not computers. They need time to paint, draw, play outside, and read (enjoy) as many books as they like. They need to use their imaginations much more that they are allowed to. There is too much testing and not enough actual learning and discovering life.