Addressing the teacher shortage crisis

There's a widely acknowledged teacher shortage in the US. Teaching has become uncomfortable, made so by over-emphasis on standards and to some degree by hostility from politicians, parents and students. Politicians want to use teaching our kids as a wedge issue. Parent are confused and disoriented by the pace of societal change, and students raised on do-whatever-you-want internet engagements are bored and simply don't like being taught. So can we understand why teachers might leave the profession looking for more emotionally satisfying work? Add to that the crisis with guns and the fact that school shootings have generated fear throughout the US, and we have serious trouble.

Dale Dougherty from Make Magazine had asked me for my prescription for fixing American education.

“The first thing to recognize is that the brain, even among college students is good for only a very few minutes of lecture. Even the best minds wander, and must, for in best cases, minds are connecting what they're taking in and associating it with what they already know to be true.

The second thing to recognize is that activities that are by nature real, and therefore engage all the senses (this was noted by Comenius,) create a better network of remembrance, connection and utility in the brain. This has been proven by research… Learning that takes place hands-on, meaning it was accomplished by being physically present thus engaging all the senses has much deeper and longer lasting effect. You can think of this as real estate, hands-on activities are noted in the full sensory and motor cortexes.

The third point, as emphasized by educational sloyd, is the relationship between the concrete and abstract. All abstract studies should be accompanied by concrete learning. We make a huge mistake starting kids to read before they’re doing real things…. reading is abstract, doing is concrete, and reading should always build upon what's known in the senses

 The fourth point is that teachers need to be drawn at least partly from the pool of those who didn’t necessarily do so well in school. Late bloomers are particularly important. A reason for this is that when faced with stress, as happens in many or most schools, teachers tend to fall back into positions most comfortable to them, often meaning the ways they themselves were taught. And those who go to college are generally the ones who learn best by rote, rather than by doing. We need doers in schools whose most comfortable fall  back positions are getting things done rather than talking about it.

 Fifth point, we need to rethink the place of manual arts in schools and make certain that administrators, school boards and parents know the value of the arts, including wood shop.

We desperately need to replenish the number of teachers in the US as some retire and others simply move on from an unpleasant situation. Where can new teachers come from? I suggest artists and musicians be considered. We need doers in school. Not talkers.  And doers would regenerate and renew American education.

Make, fix and create...