February Focus: Day Twenty
a) Liking lectures
There’s a YouTube video I revisit every so often. It’s this one if you’re curious. It’s basically a guy giving a lecture about the world’s most infamous lolcow. It was made seven years ago, and curiously, there’s even more information dropped about his subject matter since then. (I wrote a blog entry about possibly the worst news about him after it dropped if you’re interested).
This isn’t about lolcowdom, though it’s clearly a fun subject to breach as evidenced by this video. To recap, the YouTuber gives an hour and a half-long lecture regarding all the internet knew about the lolcow’s comics up until then. It plays like a collegiate class, with his audience getting to ask questions as he spurts his knowledge about such an inane subject. It’s interesting and funny on its face if you ignore all the cringe surrounding these boys that comes later.
It was only after my second or third viewing of the video did I realize what a daunting task it is to teach. To lead a lecture and educate your class, all while being confident enough that you’re revealing facts, not opinion. I know the subject in question about something trivial that doesn’t matter, but it was still a nice realization to have. Especially considering my own relationship with education hasn’t quite made the grade.
b) Grade school portfolio
I had very good report cards in grade school. I think I got straight A’s through first, second, and third grades. I started to fall off a little in fourth grade as the assignments got tougher. I was always well-versed in English, disliked math but was good at it, and interested in science but never tested well. It was a mixed bag of education for me. Mostly I just wanted to bring home good grades for my mother, as education was incredibly important to her. I’ll get into that a little later.
I have fond memories of my grade schoolteachers. I feel like I learned a lot. But I wish I could be back in that space for just a moment so I could make it clear how appreciative I was of what was being taught. My fourth-grade teacher stands out the most. She had such an interesting and engaging teaching style. One month, we learned all about New Jersey; its history, its modern age, state trivia, etcetera. She tested us on the twenty-one counties, giving a prize to the person who could name them the fastest. I handed in my paper first but did not win, as I didn’t close the ‘n’ in Bergen, making it look like “Berger.” I learned an important lesson that day to make sure I’m writing clearly, no matter how fast I go.
We also were required to bring in a homemade vanilla cake so we could create a gigantic cake of New Jersey, using the pieces as each county. The different color icing and decorations related to each specific region: Shredded coconut for farming country up north, lady-fingers and shortbread sticks for the Pine Barrens, gummy whales for the Jersey Shore, and chocolate bars for the city suburbs. It was quite a brilliant learning tool, and delicious too. While these kinds of lessons certainly stand out, it seems my appetite for furthering my education wasn’t quite as sweet.
c) Home school
My mother was a teacher. There’re some old newspaper clippings from her time in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and how she was the leading educational voice for women’s rights in the high school she taught at. Ma was a free-spirited hippie through and through. People used to find her on Facebook and tell her she was the best teacher they ever had. I believe it. She just had that spark of an educator, someone who wants to positively influence the younger generation. I’m glad I got to experience a series of good educators too, both in the classroom and at home.
But somewhere down the line, my intuition for schooling fell off the map. I suddenly didn’t care if I got good grades or not. I didn’t want to learn anything I wasn’t interested in. All of it seemed like a gigantic waste of time, and I’m not sure what lessons brought me to this conclusion.
I’m sure it hurt my mother seeing me fall off the smart kids map. I found a letter she wrote to herself in the third room of my parents’ house. One of the things she wished for was for me to care more about my education. I guess she figured because she was such a good teacher, I’d be able to pick up on the nuances of schooling and be more in tune to it. And in a lot of ways, she was right. It just didn’t happen when I was actually a student.
d) This week’s syllabus
It’s taken me this long to understand the importance of good teachers and educators in our world. You want people who actually want to teach students how to think, not what to think. Proficiency in basic subjects is plummeting. We’ve seen a slew of indoctrinators still dotting the societal landscape, which I’m hoping is another aspect in this plane of existence to fizzle out soon. Just because you can teach something doesn’t mean you should. There are simply discussions to be had between adults, not a roomful of impressionable, growing minds you want to project your own inadequacies on.
I hope it becomes clear that education is not only for the classroom. There’s a lot to learn at home as well. Parents should be building up their kids passions while instilling the values of the basics. A good teacher is also a good performer. And to be a good performer, you have to be able to listen and play off the feedback you’re receiving. It’s not an easy job and I decry those who make fun of the profession as a whole.
All in all, it’s important to never stop learning. You don’t have to cram eight hours a day, just gain more knowledge on the subjects that are important to you. All of it will be on the test, and you’re more likely to pass if you don’t take it for granted.
Not everyone is lucky enough to have two great tutors like I did, who not only taught me book smarts but street smarts as well. I can only hope my children are as fortunate, even if they only have one mommy to do everything. We’ll see. I still have a lot to learn in the relationship arena.