In any teaching situation, there are two requirements: knowledge of the
subject, and knowing how to transmit that knowledge to the student in the
most efficient way. It is the second part that is not necessarily as easily
developed as the first. Some have the teaching talent instinctually, and
others are trained. Training and practice can only help. It was in college
that I first found poor teachers, those who knew their subject, but didn't
know how to effectively transmit that knowledge in the most efficient way.
Since we knew there was a final exam, if necessary we compensated for any
deficiencies of the teacher, as we were motivated to get good grades, and
that required acquiring the teacher's knowledge, however that was done.
What I found was that with some notable exceptions who simply knew how to
teach without any official training, those teachers who had taught high
school were uniformly good teachers. They knew how to transmit their
knowledge efficiently, and as painlessly as possible. The best could get a
stone to learn the subject. As a 7th grade (12-14 years old) English
teacher as my first post-college job for four years, I think the reason is
that a school teacher has to figure out how to teach, and, of course, is
required to take teacher training of one sort or another, and thus learns
what works and what does not. School teachers get feedback on their
teaching methods by seeing students' grades, although this is a
generalization. Being able to create enthusiasm for the subject is a matter
of pride to school teachers, and they have practice at it. I am certainly
not saying there are no poor school teachers, but training, practice and
feedback go a long way. While lace teachers undoubtedly know the subject
matter, there is no teacher training for lace teachers, nor is there the
kind of feedback as to the effectiveness of my teaching. When things were
going poorly in my class of youngsters, and the students were not engaged,
they sort of began to run around the walls and swing from the rafters. When
they were truly engaged, I could see that, too. In a lace class, the
students are too mature and too polite to give the same sort of feedback my
young students did.
Needless to say, if a school teacher does the equivalent of cutting the
bobbins off the pillow, the teacher ends up in the principal's office,
perhaps with the irate parent there, and the facts of life are made
abundantly clear.
Lyn in Southwest Harbor, Maine, USA
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