Comments on: Teachers Wanted: Must Love Students

By: What Would You Do? « Ed Tech Journeys

What Would You Do? « Ed Tech Journeys — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:26:58 +0000

[...] like Keith Fromme contend that the transformation we seek is created by finding teachers who love [...]

By: dwhite Says

dwhite Says — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:16:07 +0000

I agree wholeheartedly with loving students. I think however that the education system doesn’t make it very easy to become a teacher today. I am presently an assistant teacher in an early childhood setting. I passed all three NYS exams for certification and yet, I still need to acquire a masters degree in order to qualified for a position that pays well. Currently I am making 27k. It is very discouraging. Additionally, I need to receive financial aide in order to continue my schooling but my salary puts me between the cracks of receiving aide. I don’t want to go into debt for school and start taking out loans. So unfortunately, I feel like the students whom I love and the talent that I have for teaching may be losing to this system.

A Great Teacher

By: Moving at the Speed of Creativity » Blog Archive » We can’t mandate what matters

Thu, 31 May 2007 17:30:26 +0000

[...] letter to the editor of the New York Times by Keith W. Frome in Buffalo, New York: To the [...]

By: wfryer

wfryer — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:52:14 +0000

I don’t interpret what Keith is saying here is that we should blow sunshine on our students in a haphazard and thoughtless fashion, to merely bolster their self-esteem. I would agree that trying to artificially bolster students’ self-esteem is often not constructive. That’s not what I hear Keith addressing here, however. He’s saying that you can’t mandate what matters, and the love in a person’s heart for his/her students is one of the most important things great teachers have. I think we’ve all known some teachers who not only didn’t love kids, they didn’t like them. They didn’t like their jobs, and the kids knew it. Many things are communicated on a nonverbal level, and where a person’s heart is with respect to their profession is often one of those things.

I resonate with your comments Keith, we need all teachers to love their kids. And you’re right, you can’t mandate love.

By: preilly

preilly — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:10:58 +0000

M
What are you doing today?
pete

By: M Taylor

M Taylor — Tue, 08 May 2007 12:45:12 +0000

I am a former teacher for whom the vocation of “teacher” changed so radically that it no longer fulfilled me or seemed a worthwhile outlet for my energies and talents. I love learning and education. I always have and always will. I wanted to be a teacher since I was 10 years old. I lasted 15 years in the profession.

What drove me out? I did not love regimentation in order to pass unfathomably constructed achievement tests. I customized my materials every year to meet the needs of my students. Creating materials was one of my greatest joys. I wanted the very best for each child in my care. I did not necessarily “love” every student. I regard the profession of teaching along the lines of other professions. Is the best doctor one who “loves” his patients or one who is the most knowledgeable, observant, and perspicacious?

Being a teacher is like being a coach or consultant. You take an inventory of what the strengths and weaknesses are as well as passions and interests of the individuals and plan strategies to enable them to achieve mastery over a myriad “pearls of wisdom” in ways that enlarge and bolster them as a learning community.

Learning and insight begets higher levels of learning and insight. I did not want students permanently tied to my apron strings. I wanted them to become accomplished and fully educated people able to pursue whatever goals they set for themselves. I believed absolutely in each student’s ability to grow and achieve greatness, and I did everything in my power to help them do just that.

Making students feel good every day for not stretching and for just existing and settling for what is easy and comfortable is not love. It is betrayal and will result in society’s utter destruction and in utter individual despair.