Читать книгу If You Don't Feed the Students, They Starve - Neila A. Connors - Страница 9

These are very interesting and challenging times in education. With the emphasis on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Georgia Milestones, teacher assessment, and high-stakes testing, on top of many other new practices and programs, many feel inundated and overly stressed. Plates are full and anxiety is high in classrooms and schools everywhere. Veteran teachers are asking why, while new teachers are asking how.

There are too many cooks in the kitchen deciding what is best for our students and the progression of education. Everyone is screaming accountability, assessment, accreditation, authenticity, and adaptability as our students and teachers are just trying to endure. And while our standards increase and our testing toughens, the real world just uses a search engine to find information at a moment's notice.

Think about it. In this day and age, if we are dining with a friend or colleague and they mention a topic, term, or philosophy that we are unfamiliar with – what do we do? In less than two minutes, we have a complete description and a base foundation from searching on our phone. Yet our schools are still in the antiquated mode of the “drill and kill,” “death by ditto,” and the “sage on the stage” methods. The tests get more difficult, the teachers are overwhelmed, and students are looking for alternatives via online and virtual learning because there is too much to learn that never will be applied in the real world. So unfortunate, especially when the extraordinary teachers have the answers.

The foremost objective for writing this book is to focus on what really matters and remind everyone to NEVER lose sight of what is important – relationships, relevance, recognition, and connections with our students. If students don't feel that the adults they are working with truly care – learning does not occur. That is the reality. We cannot tolerate new trends mandated by elected officials with inflated egos to take away from doing whatever it takes to F.E.E.D (Fuel, Engage, Empower Daily) students on a regular basis so they do not S.T.A.R.V.E. (Stop Trying And Reject Valuable Education). Students and their overall welfare must be our major concentration. My dream is that everyone working in the best profession ever – education – will take the time to connect with students through positive attitudes, open communication, active participation, commitment, and recognition.

Additionally, I believe that repetition is the mother of skill. Therefore, you will see important activities and ideas shared numerous times throughout the chapters. I believe when you first learn something you accept it (hopefully), when you hear it again you believe it (conditionally), and when it is shared a third or fourth time you actually put it into practice (end goal). My aspiration is that after devouring this cookbook, you will find many takeaways that you will put into practice and begin formulating your own methods to F.E.E.D. students.

The following chapters will provide the recipes to authentically and realistically accomplish what is most important. This will ensure our students do not S.T.A.R.V.E. and bona fide, reality-based learning will occur. This book is designed in a “cookbook” fashion so you can easily move from section to section and not have to digest everything in order.