The Beit Berl English Times 5th Issue 2013 - 2014
The Faculty of Education
English Department
To Teach Or To Educate, That Is The Question?
Carl Rogers
Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or
your self-confidence.
Robert Frost
I feel that as a teacher, one of the major questions I ask myself today when I wander
around the halls of my school is, when a teacher walks into the classroom, as he or she
stands there, what exactly do they see in front of them? 30 potential failures, 30
possible passes, a mix of the two or perhaps just names on a list. And when they check
the names, do they look up? Do they look into the eyes of that same kid that has
probably just grunted some variation of a language that constitutes a yes? Do we need
to know them, understand them, listen to their problems and expectations? Or should
we just get on with the job and teach the same material that we have been teaching for
the past 10, 20, 30 years?
Should there be a need for closer relations between teachers and pupils? Would it even
make a difference? Do teachers want it? Do kids even care anymore?
These are all good questions; however the main one has to be… Is it all working?
I was told that I must attend school to acquire an education. I acquired knowledge about
various subjects. At no point did I feel educated. Each day that passed I knew more
about the history of the country I grew up in, I could add, subtract and even multiply;
The Beit Berl English Times 5th Issue 2013 - 2014
The Faculty of Education
English Department
Educated? No, life educated me; about subjects and topics I would have greatly
appreciated, if some of my teachers would have pointed these things out to me at
school and saved me much pain discovering it in ways that I know could have been
avoided. I know because I see with my pupils at school. I tell them the things I was not
told and I know that they are listening. How do I know, I know because they come back
for more. They attend class and they stop grunting and say YES SIR, a sign of
respect!!!.
I sit in the staff room and when asked what it is I do differently, I reply with the exact
same answer each time, "I treat them like humans and give them the same amount of
respect I expect from them." The looks I get make me ask myself if I really am sitting in
a room filled with academics. I ponder each time as to when exactly the word and
theory behind 'respect' got brushed under the carpet. It is not only the looks; it is also
the comments, which are generally checking my sanity as a person.
1. To relate or refer to; to show concern
This is the simple definition of respect: to pay attention to the person, to listen to the person. Not
difficult things to do. We do it every day; so why in the classroom is it such a difficult feat. Why is
showing respect to a child considered "not the thing to do?" I think as the adult it is for us to
take the first step and try to meet this lost generation half way. Show them that we are willing
and really do care. You know, I discovered a big secret; they are actually very clever these kids.
We could learn a lot from them if only we could find the way to talk WITH them and not AT
them.
Of course I do not think that this new generation of children is a perfect one. We have though, in
some way, abandoned them and could even give them the name 'The Lost generation' as
Ernest Hemingway did in The Sun Also Rises, in 1926. Each Generation of kids in some way is
lost, so why is this one? Where the gap between teachers and students has grown, so has the
relationship between parents and their children. As each generations grows up and becomes
parents themselves, they bring new ideals and feelings toward how they see the world. This
The Beit Berl English Times 5th Issue 2013 - 2014
The Faculty of Education
English Department
time round parents seem to put a high value on being the friend of their son or daughter. This in
my opinion is a valuable change in the family unit, however only if it is part of a set of values that
include discipline, compassion, and respect for everybody.
So I strongly believe that teachers must look again at their approach and relationship towards
school, most importantly in the classroom. It is said that teachers spend more time with children
than their parents do, therefore their views and actions will have a major influence on these
kids.
To educate is to empower a person with the knowledge of our experience, quite possibly the
greatest gift of all.