I am a teacher. In today’s world we are are often bogged down with paperwork and state standards. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and loose sight of what is most important- teaching the child. Beetleypete (Pete) describes his education, which was excellent. Why? Because his teachers brought excitement into the classroom. They cared. They made students feel important and worthy.
Thank you, Pete. I feel inspired, rejuvenated, and eager to teach.
I confess that I know little of the school system today. I am aware that many teachers are unhappy, that exam results are possibly being manipulated, and Department of Education targets seem to be the driving force behind teaching. I also see that standards of spelling, literacy, numeracy, and general knowledge have fallen, and students rely heavily on the Internet for information that they might once have learned. University degrees have lost their status and potential graduates now have to face the prospect of years of debt ahead of them. Things have changed, of that there can be little doubt. There is a distinct lack of Historical knowledge, and little regard for the relevance of the subject. Geography, and geographical awareness, has reached a low, to the extent that many young people could not place themselves on a World map.
I do not have statistics to support these claims, but…
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A Teacher's Reflections 
This is a great post, Jennie.
Thank you, Robbie.
I am always learning from both you and pete
And I am always learning from you and Pete. Thank you, Beth!
Thanks for the lovely words, and the reblog, Jennie. I am sure you are already inspired enough, as you are a simply wonderful teacher.
Best wishes, Pete.
You are most welcome, Pete. Your words and kindness fuel my inspiration.
I do love Pete’s posts!
I do, too!
Heading over to read the rest of Pete’s post.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, Liz.
Yes, I did enjoy it. Pete was so fortunate to have teachers who cared about his education. It makes all the difference.
It really does make all the difference.
Thank you for sharing Pete’s post. One can feel it also today, Pete had got a very good education, and his interest in writing stories by themself shows this too. Will head over to read. xx Michael
It is an excellent read, Michael. The story behind his education is terrific.
Great reblog Jennie!
Thank you, Kim. I just loved Pete’s post!
I enjoyed it when I first read it. And now, Jeannie, thanks to your reblog, I enjoy it again.
It is well worth a second read! Thank you, Don. Just so you know, I’m Jennie (not Jeannie). 🙂
Oh, my bad. And I suppose you don’t have ‘light brown hair’ either.
None the less. I think you are a great .
Haha! Dark brown and gray. No worries, and you are great as well. 🙂
I am all for learning and aside from my It gfirst love of being an artist I enjoy being a substitute but I can’t stand the system. The problem seems to be getting worse.
I do enjoy your posts and wish you could be the one at the top guiding the rest of the teachers. I love your ideas. They imspire me too.
That is so nice, Mireya. Thank you! Interestingly, I started writing these stories on my blog to help inspire fellow teachers and to help teach parents. Knowing you (the teacher) read and enjoy these posts makes my day.
I know what you mean! I have to embrace those “moments“ in teaching, the wonderful things that happen with children. That’s what gets me through ‘the system’.
There are many wonderful teachers, and if the system allowed, would be wonderful for the classrooms. Sadly, the truly good teachers won’t last long, for the system, with terrible curriculums via politics, demoralizing socializations, and propaganda, won’t let them. But I think, as with all things that change, home schooling and online sources might be the future, with many hands-on activities available. Perhaps, for these teachers, other means of education might be the future. I hope all the best. God bless.
You are right. The system sucks the joy out of many wonderful teachers. Without joy, there is no meaningful teaching. Home schooling has become very popular and Charter Schools are thriving. Private school enrollment is full. That says a good education is still happening. Public schools will have to change.
Terrific choice to share, Jennie. And you are so right about the good teachers, that’s where the quality of the education comes in — not the high cost or the prestige of the school. Hugs on the wing.
You hit the nail on the head, Teagan! Hugs to you.💕
Awesome article and photo 🌷🙏😊 Good Wishes 👍🏻🌺
Thank you.
You are welcome 🙏🌷
It is important for teachers to unite for education, come together for a purpose. education vis-avis teaching needs to re-invent itself not for only being relevant enough but interesting enough to stand the test of coming times.
Nara x
Well said!
I enjoyed Pete’s piece before. Unfortunately, I see far too many excellent teachers leaving the profession. There is not one single factor for this, but I’ve realized that pay is one of the reasons. Many have decided they can make more money by doing something that requires less work and stress. It would be too simplistic to say this is the only factor. There are many other issues, including lack of support from some administrators, school boards, parents, and resources.
Even before Covid, there was a teacher shortage in many areas of the country. What I feared might happen is happening in my state (California). Rather than making teaching more attractive by offering better pay and support, the solution here seems to be to lower the standards. College students can now get a degree, and student teach in four years instead of five. In my opinion, it is shortsighted.
Well said, Pete. I completely agree with you. While the paperwork and state standards can suck the joy out of teachers, the reality is that we just don’t make enough money to stick with the job. Interestingly, private schools pay less, but are more attractive to teachers because they have more freedom when it comes to curriculum.
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The truth of default education has been described in your post. High class teaching is provided in school system but knowledge is not transferred to student’s brain regions. It is obvious that learning is knowledge transfer but it is not conducted by the system of teaching theories and pedagogical methods. We have to replace the system of default education by the learnography of knowledge transfer.
Thanks ! I like your post.
Learnography
Happiness Classroom
Spot on!! Thank you.
Very informative! New follower here.
Thank you.
Serious thinking is required in such dimension….