WHO DO YOU TEACH?

Image via Wikipedia

I have a pet peeve.

All teachers – teach students.  Teachers do not teach a subject or course.

That is what we are certified/licensed, hired to do and should be passionate about – teaching students.
This may only be a matter of semantics for many educators, to me it gets a rather tiresome and does not help promote a student-centered learning environment, which I believe is necessary for a successful school or classroom.

Instead it promotes a teacher/subject-centric environment and atmosphere where teacher needs are being met more than the students.

I do not teach Special Education, Social Studies, ELA or Reading all things I am Certified or a HQT.

I believe that I would get more than a few strange looks from other people in my building for me to tell someone that I am going to teach Special Education how to use the text to speech function on the Mac today or that I will teach Reading a strategy on how to figure out the meaning of a word using context clues, etc.

• Those are things.

I try to teach students how to do, use or learn those things.

How many teachers identify themselves as Computer Teachers, History Teachers, Science Teachers, Math Teachers, etc.?  I believe that too many do.  These teachers  may focus so much on teaching their subject matter that it becomes the product, instead of student learning.  Are they then considered teachers or have they become Historians, Scientists, Mathematicians, Technologist, etc.?

Those teachers who tend to identify themselves that way tend to forget that they are there to teach students what they need to learn about the teacher’s subject matter, in a manner that those students can learn, not always how it is easiest for a teacher to pass along their knowledge (sometimes I don’t consider what they do teaching).

• Teachers should all be focused on the idea that they are at their school to teach individual students a subject they have an expertise in.

All trained teachers do know that one teaching method does not work equally for everyone and that they should be ready to try new or different methods to ensure understanding by their students.  They should not blame the students who don’t get it and haven’t totally tuned the teacher out, for not learning what they are presenting.

• Perhaps it is time for those teachers to realize they are not teaching students, but only presenting their subject material which is a big difference.

In my opinion we are all teachers – teachers of students, not a subject.  This may only a be small shift in perspective, but I believe that it is a shift that we as teachers have to make.

I am a teacher that has Special Education responsibilities and teaches students, what are you?