Blog Assignment 10

Do You Teach or Do You Educate:
What’s the difference between teaching and educating? Some think they are one in the same. Boy, are they wrong. As it was mentioned in the video , to teach means to show or explain how to do something, encourage someone to accept as a fact or principle, give information about or instruction in, cause someone to learn or understand something, and/or induce by example or punishment to do or not to do something. But to educate someone means to illuminate, inspire, and empower them, be their mentor, advisor, and counselor, show them guidance, morals, and practice integrity. So what would you rather be— A teacher or an educator?

Based off this video, being a teacher doesn’t sound half bad, but why would you want to settle? As aspiring teachers we should strive to be educators! I believe being an educator is being a teacher, but also being like a parent. Most children see their teachers more during the day than their parents. As educators we need to demonstrate integrity, trustworthiness, good morals, and guidance. We need to inspire, encourage, and motivate these children everyday. I like the quote at the end of this video : Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filing of a vessel. Yes, I want to be a teacher, but I, also, want to be more than that. I want to be an educator.


Tim Johnson's Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home:
I liked the creativity Mr. Johnson used with this post. At first when I read our blog post assignment, I thought to myself: “Don’t let them take the pencils home? Who cares if they take pencils home?” However, the message Mr. Johnson was trying to get across had nothing to do with taking home pencils, but everything to do with having a problem and being able to overcome it with patience, solutions, and a level head. Far too often teachers hold their students back due to negativity, rules, or sometimes laziness. We need more teachers that will go the extra mile to help these children reach their maximum potential.

I understand that teachers stress over test outcomes, and I understand how important tests are. But on the other hand, not all tests show how smart a child is, or how well they understand the material. Many children, and people in general, have a test anxiety. I used to get so nervous before a test and forget everything I studied. But that didn’t mean I didn’t understand what I was being taught. Overcoming obstacles like that come with getting older and learning how to adjust to it. For the most part, tests are a great way to determine how the children are doing in certain subjects, but it’ not the only option.

Another thing I liked about this post was how positive and encouraging "Mr. Spencer" was. Teaching can be frustrating, and even discouraging, at times. But the important thing to remember is these kids need all the motivation and kind words they can get. Some children only hear positive things from their teacher, and some hear it at home, too—Not all kids are that lucky. Just like with our blogs, I think we should point out the positive first, and then give some constructive criticism. I think some of the students and workers forget that. Coming at someone with only ways to fix their work, but no encouragement or positive notes can discourage anyone.

Finally, I liked that "Mr. Spencer" tried to incorporate games to help these kids learn. Learning can be fun, and I think some educators lose sight of that. He mentioned the use of hangman. Well, I think hangman can definitely be used in the classroom to help test children’s knowledge without having to give them a piece of paper with 25 questions on it. Teachers can ask a history question on the board, draw the hanging stand, and call upon children who raise their hand to answer the question. There are so many different ways to help these children, and most of them are fun and will hold their interest. We just have to be the educators who want to help these kids, no matter what it takes!