As I think about my teaching career, my generation of teachers has witnessed more changes in education than any other previous generation and I believe this gives us a unique perspective. I began teaching when Bill Clinton was President and America was experiencing the technology and communications revolution.
Back in 1994, I was so excited to receive my first desktop computer with no internet! Becuase I did not totally trust the grading program, I made sure to keep paper copies of grades in my traditional gradebook. To communicate grades to parents, I sent paper copies home with students to be signed by parents and returned for a grade. How time consuming it was to use a calculator to add up the rows and rows of grading data. When taking attendance, I remember having to fill in a bubble sheet, putting it in a clip outside of my room to be picked up each hour by someone in the attendance office for scanning. And the hours spent converting plastic transparency notes for the overhead projector to Power Point and then to Google Slides. Even though most of my videos are now embeded into my presentations, I still have a VHS/DVD player in my classroom for those classics that still have educational value. I think I am the only teacher at my school to still use a few VHS tapes. How about the file cabinets full of manilla folders? I must admit that one of my biggest challenges is keeping organized electronic files. When filing teaching resources, I am still hopelessly caught between the folder and the computer. We have also gone from student notebook to student chromebook and kids who used to pass notes as opposed to sending texts and snap chats.
In addition to increases in technology, I have experienced many pedagogical changes regarding teaching, learning, grading, scheduling, curriculum formation, and student discipline. I have experienced more changes in the last 8 years than I did the first 24. Behind every change there is usually an educational think tank or new guru that is promising better educational results as they market their new products and earn money consulting around the nation. Few realize that education is also big business.
Change for the sake of change in keeping up with the "educational Joneses" can actually inhibit educational growth and progress. Consistent processes and fundamentals are just as important in education as they are in coaching. Just as a football team who changes its offense from game to game or year to year will not see much progress, so it is with classrooms and schools. Progressive education is good, however the best of past practices also need to be carried forward and not expunged because they are deemed outdated and not relevant for today's students. While kids may have different influences on them today than in the past, some will say that kids are still kids. Old School may never be the only approach to education, however the benefits of the tried and true philosophy should not be overlooked in providing the structure and guidance that students today so desparately need. To often, educational leaders look outside of the classroom at trends and theories for answers, when they need to identify and emulate teachers that are teaching at a high level in their schools. A well constructed student survey can provide valuable invormation about classes. I have conducted such student surveys for years and gain great insights into my teaching from the students in my classsroom. Over the years my students have provided validation that the Old School approach still has a place in education today.