Book Description

Babblings of a Burned Out Teacher, Book Description There are many “experts” in our country that know what is exactly wrong with education, and they have the ideas to make it right. The sad thing is that many of these “experts” have spent very little time, if any in a school. It’s like having an operation with your surgeon only have seen a 15 to 20 second clip on how to complete the operation, if they have seen that much. It’s very easy to sit on the sidelines or in the stands and tell someone what to do and how to do it. That’s today’s society, it’s easier to complain about the situation rather than do something about it. There are plenty of items and people that are wrong with education who are working some how in education. This book discusses many of these people. You have people in every group dealing with education that have their own agenda and will do anything to get their ideas and agenda through. People need to be able to recognize those people who have the “hidden agenda” and get them out of the educational process. Education needs to be the quest for being self-sufficient. The educated person will be able to provide for themselves and their family. Education should provide people with skills to be able to solve problems they encounter. Today’s school systems are more interested in having their students become game show contestants rather than problem solvers. Schools are more interested on making sure students can answer questions on standardized tests, instead of teaching them skills they will be able to use later in life. The short term often is more important that long term, not just in education, but for many facets of life. Education should not be a means to learn how to beat or play the system. I have written several stories that can make you laugh or cry. When you are working with children, you experience many valleys and mountain tops. That’s just the nature of education. I have been in education for the past 25 years in some capacity or another. During this time I’ve been a teacher’s aide to principal in public schools. I have taught students from pre-school students to seniors. The students ranged from severe and profound to students who are quite gifted and talented. I can’t count the number of Individual Education Plans that I have attended. Some of my students could look at a book and get a 100% on a test over the contents of the book without reading it. In education, you teach students who run the spectrum of ability. Reading this book, you need to realize the students are talented in different areas. A student who likes science might not be the best at physical education. Students are just like everyone else in society, they have their own unique skills, talents and abilities. As Americans, we can use these to our advantage. We can find a career that best fits the skills, talents, and abilities we possess. Coaching offered me another aspect of education. Being a coach, you need to be aware of the politics involved. The best part of coaching is working with the student/athlete and other coaches. Practices and games are a blast! You get to get to see and interact with student/athletes in an atmosphere outside of the classroom. A high school coach should not be judged on their win/loss record. Not every team will be a state champion. It’s how the players perform and act on the playing field and in the class room. Most parents think their child is going to be a professional or college athlete in the sport they are doing. It’s the coach’s fault that their child is not getting the scholarship offers they deserve. The school administration could end up being the worst enemy of the coaches. Sometimes they have their personal agenda which they impose on their staff, which includes coaches and other staff members. My post-secondary experience includes being an adjunct instructor, tutor to being English as a Second Language instructor. While teaching at th