One of the things I've reflected on over the years is how students and the whole education environment have changed. I was born on the leading edge of the Baby Boom. I started grade school in the 1950's, was in public school all through the 1960's and in college in the early 1970's. After that, I went into the Marine Corps for 20 years. I don't remember my parents ever interacting with a teacher. They assumed no news was good news. If a teacher had ever called about a problem with me, there would have been Hell to pay at my house.

Students towed the line in class. Parents didn't tell teachers how to do their jobs. Families didn't hover over their kids or run interference for them. If there was a problem, it was the student's job to face it and fix it or suffer the consequences. If you missed the bus, you walked to school. If you forgot your lunch money, you didn't eat. If you forgot your homework, you got a zero. If you failed a test, it was because you didn't study enough. Nobody agonized over this stuff. The prevailing wisdom was "There, let that be a lesson to you."

As I look back on my own student experiences from decades ago, teaching was in the Dark Ages and math was the worst. It was dull, unimaginative and repetitive. Read the chapter. Do the homework. Go to the board. Get embarrassed in front of the class. Take the test. We were lucky to get a day's notice about a test. Often, it was "test tomorrow" as we walked out at the end of class. Then at the end of the test, the teacher would assign the new chapter and homework problems for the next day - before they had even taught anything! When the test came back, what you saw was what you got. There were no retests or corrections or remedial activities that have become standard in today's classroom.

After spending 20 years in the insulated cocoon of the USMC, I entered the teaching profession in a very different world than I remembered. If I had taught math the way I was taught, 90% of my students would have failed. Teaching has to be much more engaging now. I enjoyed the challenge of finding new ways to do things and including new technology to present a subject I am passionate about - mathematics. Students recognize and respond positively to a teacher that has that passion for their subject and genuinely enjoys teaching - chaos and all. That may be re-stating the obvious but with a few exceptions, I don't remember my teachers having that spark in the classroom. They didn't have to. Kids were expected to behave, listen and learn no matter what. That's certainly not the case today. If there are problems, all eyes are on the teacher.

Overall, the classroom is much more student friendly than I remember but there is a downside to this new paradigm. The students are pretty savvy in technical areas, but their work ethic and problem solving skills are shaky. They are used to parents running interference on their behalf and rarely experience any actual consequences for their shortcomings. If there is a problem, the teacher is expected to fix it. Interventions, modifications and remedial activities are a way of life.

In addition to the kid glove treatment of students, the care and feeding of parents are major concerns. Throw in clueless administrators, budget cuts, lawyers plus No Child Left Behind and you have a very challenging professional environment. Be forewarned - if you try to put some genuine rigor, standards and personal accountability in your classroom, expect some serious blowback. You'll know you've matured as a teacher when a parent threatens to "consult with our attorney" and it rolls right off your back.

Our forerunners who taught the Baby Boomers only had to deal with a fraction of what today's teachers do. Despite the perils and pitfalls, teaching is a hoot. I had a lot more fun in the classroom than my teachers did, I think. When a classroom is firing on all cylinders, there's nothing quite like it and the good days far outnumber the bad ones. So get in there, mix it up with the kids and have some fun. If you're not careful, they might even learn something.

Derek Logan has more information about this article's topic and many others on his website at http://www.teachkidsmath.net. Feedback, comments and questions are always welcome and can be provided through site links to his email and guest book.

[Edited by Administrator (admin) Wed, 06 Jul 2011, 07:33 PM]