Confessions of a teacher who doesn’t believe in public education

i became a teacher, because the desire and ability to break concepts down into tiny bits of information was born into me.

i became a teacher because everyone told me that i was good at it. as a teenager there was a waiting list to have me as a swim lesson instructor.

i became a teacher, because i have no idea how not to teach

( i’m not using capital letters anymore because typing them feels like a waste of time, and i don’t like them)

then i officially became a teacher…. and no longer wanted to be a teacher

well i still wanted to teach, but not in the way that i thought i would for all of those years..

not for the school system. which i’m learning has nothing to do with teaching or learning.. but everything to do with

            ego. power. money

i became an art teacher because i loved making art. because i strongly believe in the importance of creativity

now i teach for the system that is killing creativity. really killing it. one more time .

                                                                                  KILLING IT

i teach for the system that turns off the ability to daydream. that frowns on asking questions. ( some questions are okay. just not the important ones) that thinks there is only one right answer. and that is leaving students behind every second of every day… that is turning creative thinkers into criminals

you might think that my last statement is extreme… i don’t

confession: the bad kids… they’re usually my favorite

they’re not really bad. they’re creative. and year after year. they’ve been told to think differently. to stop asking questions. to sit up straight and stop doodling. to put both feet on the floor . and to cut their hair. eventually they grow to believe that they’re bad. and in turn. they start making bad decisions.

but the truth is. they’re not bad. they’re creative.

they don’t understand the system. and don’t want to follow it.

they’re smart. so they ask questions. but deep thought provoking ones. not can you please repeat what pages you want us to read tomorrow and exactly how many words does our paper need to be in order for us to get an “a”?

we’re born good. we’re born creative. and both should be allowed, embraced, and encouraged in school.

in order to have creative children. we need creative adults. and those creative adults need to challenge and push the system everyday. we need change. we need unstandardization.

let me say that again

we need unstandardization. we need to embrace the boy who loves to move and learns better if you let him stand during class. instead we make him sit. squirm. and tell him to sit still

the teenager that thinks he learns better by sitting on the window sill… yes i had one of those

the kid who is trying to understand how the world could run without money. how we could live in a place where there is enough for everyone. instead he is judged for his long hair. the way he dresses. and is thought to be unintelligent… and so he responds by doing poorly in school… even though he’s brilliant

you might be nodding your head… and asking what should we do…. what’s the solution…

 

honestly… i’m still working on that.

i’m opening up, and hosting a time called ask the teacher. leave a comment below asking anything you wish, and i’ll answer.

let’s start the conversation