Troublemakers

Q: Some teachers believe that preparing students to be “more still, more compliant, more conforming...” (never forgetting a pencil) will prepare them for the world. What are some of the dangers of that kind of belief system? How do you prepare children for the way the world works or should work?

A: When teachers act as the "end-all and be-all" authoritative figure in the class, they tend to project their own ideal qualities on their students, and when students don't follow the behavioral guidelines that they believe appropriate, the students are punished. As a result, students learn to sit behind their desks in silence, working on assignments. This may improve standardized testing scores, but is it improving the quality of our students? Is it preparing them for the real world? When students grow up learning to do as their teacher says, they are being taught not to question authority, even if they disagree with how something is being done. In the real world, when something is done incorrectly, one would hope that someone would speak up with an improved method of performing the same task. Students should feel comfortable speaking up and discussing new ideas, so as to create a better and more efficient world. Teachers who aim for compliant and silent students are merely suppressing the energy-filled students who long to work on hands-on projects and in the field, which is what they would be doing in the "real world" when working a new job. Teachers should promote and encourage all types of students, so that education is accessible to each and every one of them.