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Lesson Plans


Re: Motivation

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Sandra L. Eckert (seart)
Fri, 1 Nov 1996 23:27:23 -0500 (EST)

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I love to see kids learn and connect. And I've been giving "more" since I
began teaching (at age 30). I get BORED otherwise! It is sad to me to hear
teachers talk about the burden their profession has become. I think that
maybe they should either confront the issue with administrators, or examine
their choices more closely. Every profession is having to do "more" right
now. And while I agree that it would be WONDERFUL to just teach art, and
not worry about other issues, we are, after all, teaching. Teaching
children...who are people. People who have human needs.

It saddens me to see the humanism going out of education. I keep hearing
about severe punishment for rules that are just rules...a 7 year old being
punished for sexual harassment...An honors student being suspended for
taking tylenol...I do think that the educational theorists are on the right
track, with more holistic, interdisciplinary and authentic education taking
place, but I think that a lot of teachers are tired, or frustrated, or
unwilling to be flexible. After all, like I tell my kids, change isn't
easy...change sometimes hurts a little. But they're GROWING pains...and
growth is GOOD. And we need to remember that we're dealing with people who
will remember us, and who are "works in process"...they'll all (hopefully)
grow up and be adults, too, someday. And what we do is important. Art is,
after all, the chronical of human experience...the language that comes from
inside us.

I feel lucky to be able to be with kids, and to teach them. And they teach
me. And I intend to keep on learning.

At 06:01 PM 11/1/96 -0800, you wrote:
>I'd like to know how other Art teachers stay motivated in a field where
more is expected every year.
>
>

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