There is no doubt about it: Education has changed. I’m currently in my 20th year of schooling and the differences between a Ph.D. program and kindergarten are astonishing. Long gone are the days of tactile exploration with toys and lessons about being kind. No one reads stories to me anymore and none of the books have pictures.
The most shocking changes of all, of course, are a direct result of my ever increasing age (and hopefully wisdom). I now play the diametrically opposed role of teacher and student at the same time. I’ve observed a great deal about learning and teaching recently and I would like to share that with you.
I’ve seen heartbreaks in the grade of “F” as well as “A-” and I’ve experienced the pain of the teacher in addition to the daily grind of the student. This dual experience has made me better at both roles and opened my eyes to common pitfalls and unexpected avenues to success.
This is not only applicable to college. My wife is a high school teacher and she sees many of the same issues with her students. At the close of each day we discuss the successes and failures of our students as well as in our own teaching. We also look lovingly at our son who is barely 2 months old and ponder his future education. How will he best learn the things he needs to know? Will he listen to the advice of his parents? What will be best for him? I’ve been writing about these daily challenges in the fatherhood blog but education is so central to the development of a child that I’m very pleased to be exploring that here.
Public, Private, Homeschool, something else entirely: All options are possible at this point. Dale suggested an open nature in terms of topic for this blog and I agree. Post suggested topics in the comments. You will very likely get two different perspectives from each of us.
In order to learn more about me check out the fatherhood blog and also my profile. I’m looking forward to some good dialogue about education and certainly your thoughts as my wife and I decide what to do with our son, our students, and ourselves in the realm of education.