Misconceptions in Education.

Not sure if the title will cover the entire contents of this post but I think it will suffice. 

Misconceptions. What is a misconception? A misunderstanding, a fallacy, an error, a mistake — Yes I know that when learning anything, there is bound to be a lesson taught that isn’t learned the way the teacher intended it to be.

So, this is my quibble — 

I felt that after about eighth or ninth grade that this would dissipate, this attitude or perception that “my teacher can walk on water”. Several times my daughter has come home telling me about what she obtained from school that day, that grand and wonderful knowledge that can make them implode if they don’t tell you fast enough. I have often had to bite my tongue and hear her out, thinking the whole time don’t these teachers know that their students worship them and consider them to be the whole worlds center for knowledge. So after my child has avoided implosion I talk to her about what she learned and what I feel the teacher “left out”, you know the big chunk of information that when your child repeats this in three, five, ten years they won’t sound like an absolute dum-dum!  

Now, I know that the first response is going to be that there is no way that teachers can teach them everything there is to possibly know about everything. I understand that. I wish that they would strive to present it as this is what I know about this subject. Not the this is the only way, the only thing, the only kind, the one and only ever possible imaginable way for this to be.

Recently, I was married and acquired two more wonderful daughters. Ivy is the oldest of the two and quite articulate for her age. She has inadvertantly inspired this rant. Being a young blogger she every now and then posts small things and often they are about her everyday school activities. She posted the other day about English Class and learning about haiku. She also included some samples that you can read here. Well, after enjoying her thoughts I read what she posted at the bottom, a statement that she heard and then interpreted to be that haiku is a 5-7-5 syllable/count and always about nature. 

Huge SIGH.

Why do teachers do that? why do they have to say this is the only way? Is it to make them all conform to a standard, to steal their identity, make them a whole? Blatantly, no. I think it is a lack of “extra push” on the teacher’s part to really know what she is talking about. So, I go to do a little “googling” so that I can provide Ivy with a better understanding of haiku. I sent her a link to this site called Simple Haiku. (Check it out - easy read.)

So, I was concerned that I would insult her by saying “your teacher is wrong”. But, being the articulate individual that she is she read the article and said thanks. What was the thanks for? It was for expanding her view, expanding her possibilities in something she likes.

I feel like one of a teacher’s responsibilities is to broaden the student’s minds. To make them want to know more. Maybe the better statement would have been: “Originally Haiku has a 5-7-5 syllable/count and originally and often still is centered around nature.” I guarantee that at that point at least one child realized there is more to know about this type of poetry — broaden, expand, create.