Why do we teach?

I think the most important reason we teach is to give students the tools theye need to become a successful individual. We teach them how to think for themselves, how to problem solve, and how to participate in a group, whether in a job setting or in society. Especially in secondary education, I think we also teach becuse we find something that is really interesting to us, and we want to share that with other people, so that they have the chance to find something that they really love too.

I would define school "work" as the things students do to practice the skills we intend to teach. It is the practice of problem solving indicidually and cooperatively. Some people may think much of school "work" is "busy work", but I think the more important lesson to be learned is responsibility and determination. I feel that the student "learning" comes both from the school "work", and the experiences and connections made in and out of the classroom. Learning comes when sudents can link what they were just taught or read to something that they already knew, and in turn, have found a new application.

I think good teaching is helping students to find connections. I think it comes from carefully considering students' different ideas and asking them questions to promote thinking in ways different from what they are used too. Good teaching is not giving students the answers, but guiding them to find through questions and suggestions. In my mind, a good teacher is some one who says, "That's a good question. I don't know the answer. Let's find out together? What do you think about...?"