The Role of Teachers

I came across this quote by Piaget a few days ago, which pretty accurately sums up my teaching philosophy.  Everyone who has ever taken a child development course knows Piaget.  His studies of how children develop and learn are foundational.  Stumbling upon this quote reminded me once again of how many things we do in schools that contradict what we know about how students learn.

We spend too much time teaching students "stuff" and don't give them nearly enough time to figure out things on their own.  Most schools have a culture driven by content instead of process, despite the fact that we know that learning is all about connecting, doing, and discovery.

If future generations are to prosper, we need to find ways to change schools from places of information gathering to places of learning. 

Friday's Five - Five Great Education Quotes

Today was my first day of break, and I found it hard to think of good ideas for today's post.  When I'd think of a good idea, the motivation to write about it wasn't there.  I also came up with some pretty lame ideas that would have been fun to write about.  I didn't think anyone would have wanted to read "Five Things I'd Rather Be Doing than Blogging Right Now" or "Five Ways the New York Yankees Are More Evil than Textbook Companies."  Instead of stressing about it, I took a nap.  It's amazing how wonderful a well placed break in the school calendar can be.

Finally, I settled on sharing a few of my favorite quotes related to education.  I've already done a Friday's Five where I shared my favorite Walt Disney quotes on education, so I'm leaving Walt off the list today, even though some of his quotes are fantastic.  It's worth clicking the link above and checking them out.

1. "Knowledge without character is a power for evil only, as seen in the instances of so many 'talented thieves' and 'gentleman rascals' in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
2. "Real education consists of drawing the best out of yourself.  What better book can there be than the book of humanity?" - Mahatma Gandhi
3. "Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to; convinced that on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty." - Thomas Jefferson
4. "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" - Aristotle
5. "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." - Martin Luther King Jr.

There are so many great education quotes out there; it was difficult to narrow the list down to five.  What  are some of your favorites?  Please share with us in the comment section below, or on the Facebook page!

Image Credit: dimland

Friday's Five - Walt Disney Quotes

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Friday's Five is a feature every week where I pick a new topic and list five items that I think fit best.  Then I ask you, my readers, to share your thoughts in the comment section.  For an archive of past topics, check the Friday's Five Page.  If you'd like to make suggestions about future topics or discuss topics I bring up on the blog with others, make sure you click the "like" button on the right hand side of the page to join A Teacher's Life for Me on Facebook.  Don't be shy about sharing the blog and Facebook Page with others.  Each post has a "Tweet" button on top and buttons on the bottom that allow you to share in several ways, including e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.

Flickr/Express Monorail

Right now I'm on vacation with my family at the Most Magical Place on Earth, Walt Disney World.  On top of enjoying the wonderful experiences that this place provides for myself, my wife, and our two kids, I have increasingly become fascinated by Walt Disney, the man.  As I've learned more about him and read different biographies and accounts of his life,  I've come to realize that many of his core beliefs match up with some of the topics I've blogged about and believe in strongly, such as the need to teach through storytelling, the need for innovation and creativity, and that people are most productive when they are inspired by what they are doing.

Below are five quotes by Walt Disney that I've found inspirational.  I'm sure there are lots more out there.

1. "Imagination is the mold from which reality is created." - The beginning of Walt's introduction to Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland could be found in a 25 cent pamphlet that was sold during Disneyland's early days.  We need to promote imagination in our students and find ways to keep educational policy and standardized testing from forcing us to "educate" it out of them.  
2. "Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children." - This quote of Walt's can be seen inside the American Pavilion at Epcot on the lower level.  I think most of us who became teachers would agree with him.  It's probably what inspired us to pursue our jobs.
3. "All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - I'm not sure the origin of this quote, but I love it.  On one of my bookshelves at home I have a small statue with this quote on it.
4. "Around here, we don't look backwards for very long.  We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - This quote of Walt's can be found at the end of the movie "Meet the Robinsons."  Walt's constant vision to the future and for finding creative solutions to problems is something we can learn a lot from in education.  
5. "That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up.  They forget.  They don't remember what it's like to be twelve years old.  They patronize.  They treat children as inferiors.  I won't do that." - This quote is from Walt Disney World:  Then, Now, & Forever, a theme park exclusive book that was sold by the Disney Company.  To me, it sounds a lot like great advice for elementary teachers and politicians who make educational policy.  Stop being such adults all the time.  Allow yourself to be fascinated.  Allow yourself to wonder and search for answers along with your students.  Treat your students with respect and let them follow their dreams and curiosities instead of worrying about covering material all the time.

Now it's your turn.  Which one of the above quotes speaks to you?  Do you have another Walt Disney quote, or quote from someone else that you love?  What are your thoughts on Walt's quotes or some of the things he accomplished and/or created during his lifetime?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below, and pass the post along to your friends and colleagues.  We'd love to hear what they have to say as well.