Last week I heard two comments that surprised me. Well, maybe flummoxed might be a better word. The first person said, “I am the king of the old school way of doing things.” He actually sounded proud of that. And if he was, say a chef, like Julia Child, that might be a good thing. But he is an educator. Now, what does that conjure up for you? For me, I think he likes being the sage on the stage, being the expert, being the leader, and having his ego intact. I also think he is insecure and doesn’t know any other way, and probably doesn’t want to learn any other way.
The other person, a student by the way –so we’re staying with education here–told me he still doesn’t have a cell phone because he doesn’t get the texting stuff and he likes being a dinosaur. Huh? My mother has a cell phone–and uses a computer. She is 83 years old and nowhere near prehistoric.
I’m not saying you have to carry a cell phone (you sure don’t have to text) and I’m not saying you can’t still be the sage on the stage teacher. I am wondering though, why you would come out and say these things with such pride, as if they were very important things to know about you. Neither statement takes into account what is going on in the real world. What are the real-life trends; what do we need to know about the world today to help us become better teachers and students; and how and where are people getting their information? It’s not about keeping up with the Jones’s, it’s about keeping up with the times. It’s about facing what is real and being willing to make a mistake or two along the way.
Tags: dinosaur, education, lliving in the past, technology
