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 Bitter Lessons 
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"Teaching is the most watched line of work in the world"

"The two-faced aspects of schoolteaching - in which teachers are forced into a constant pretense of caring, forced to act as principals when they are merely agents, forced to pretend that insignificant work has important connections with human development - is the major reason teaching is held in such low reguards."

" Teachers teach who they are; if they are incomplete people they reproduce their incompleteness in their students."

"Lectureing age-grouped children in cellblock rooms of featureless buildings is a nightmareish way to teach."

These are all quotes from Gatto's Bitter Lessons: What's Wrong with American Teachers. I picked these quotes out because they seem to be the evil truth of the profession that we are all about to find ourselves in. We need to find ways to counter-act these evils and show people that teaching is not the easiest job by far, however is the most rewarding.

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Emily Hartnett


Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:35 pm
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It does seem scary to know that we are going into a profession that is possibly one of the most-attacked career choices in the world. But when you think about it, most college graduates are scared that they aren't going to be able to handle what challenges will confront them when entering the real world, to use a cliche. I think the best thing to do is to prepare yourself as much as possible, which includes knowing yourself and your strengths well, as the third quote says. This will hopefully build confidence so that you are able to perform to the best of your abilities.

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Mary M


Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:41 pm
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The quote about how incomplete teachers pass on their incompleteness was one that stuck out in my mind as well. There was another quote in this chapter that I find relevent to the one on incompleteness and like very much.

"The kids I had the most profound effect upon as a teacher were invariably those who were incomplete in the same way I had been at their age, and those who lacked certain strengths I myself was struggling to learn as an adult. I taught these kids best because I was really teaching myself. Our mutual attempts to solve character problems were the field on which we wrote some notable academic successes."

First of all, I wonder what is required to be considered a complete person? Is it knowledge? Self-esteem? Experience?... I don't think there is anyone who does not have a fault. In fact, being incomplete may not be such a bad thing. Like he said, it was the faults that he had as a child, and even some that he still struggled with, that helped him to connect to his students. They strengthened their weaknesses together.

Of course a teacher must be knowledable but when a student asks that dreded question that the teacher does not know the answer to, it may turn out to be helpful. The teacher and students can research it together, which may lead to more questions and interest in the subject. I feel that maybe the best way to teach is to let the students teach you... to learn with them. My mom used to help me study for tests by having me ask her the questions, some of which she had forgotten because it had been so long, and consequently I actually would learn the information better that way than when she would ask me. On top of that, it made me feel good. I felt like I had some control or authority with the answers in my hand and I definitly loved it when I would remember the answers my mom could not.

I know this response is getting long so this will be the last comment that I make. As a child I was very sensitive, I would take a lot of comments made by teachers and other children very badly. I found that the teachers I connected with the most were ones that understood me, probably because they had been the same. It was those teachers that I learned the most from because I respected them the most. I wanted to impress them. They made me feel comfortable in the classroom. I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher, I just never really thought about why until college. I think now, looking back on how much I grew because of those teachers, that helping another child become complete, or even becoming complete collaborativly with another child, would make this all worth it.

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Sarah Concra


Mon Jan 22, 2007 11:20 pm
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