This week, our quote in my "Food for Thought" finale comes from William Butler Yeats. He says, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire". That is certainly thought provoking. As we examine our Common Core standards, we see that as teachers we are being asked to give students multiple opportunities to interact with their own learning. Kids need to become actively involved, make personal connections, and experience new things. However, is that really enough? Can we light a fire and leave it untended? Perhaps a child needs a pail full of water to douse the edges of flame when it begins to spread haphazardly? WOW! This could certainly be an interesting discussion. Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Is it one or the other, or can the two ideas live in harmony?Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Fill a Pail or Light a Fire?
This week, our quote in my "Food for Thought" finale comes from William Butler Yeats. He says, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire". That is certainly thought provoking. As we examine our Common Core standards, we see that as teachers we are being asked to give students multiple opportunities to interact with their own learning. Kids need to become actively involved, make personal connections, and experience new things. However, is that really enough? Can we light a fire and leave it untended? Perhaps a child needs a pail full of water to douse the edges of flame when it begins to spread haphazardly? WOW! This could certainly be an interesting discussion. Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Is it one or the other, or can the two ideas live in harmony?
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Dr. Walts, I feel that it is part of our job as teachers to light a fire in our students, meaning we introduce them to something that they become interested in or even passionate about. I do not think that we can leave the fire unattended. We have to show them how to get involved and make connections, just as you mentioned. It is not enough just to "fill their pails" with information; rather, we need to light a fire in them that allows them to become actively involved and engaged in what they are learning.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Kristen
Dr. Walts,
ReplyDeleteI believe as teachers we are filling their pails, but we are also lighting a fire and teaching them how to never let the fire burn out. Learning is a never ending process. We learn everyday. We need to teach our students the "joy" in learning and how it can be fun and exciting. This encourages them to continue the learning process and hopefully when they are no longer students in our class, they will still pursue learning on their own because of the benefits they have seen.
Thanks,
Angie Waller
Dr. Walts
ReplyDeleteI believe that not only is it our job as teachers to light a fire in our students educational passion, but to remain a positive light for them throughout the school year. We're all about encouraging students to want to be passionate and active in their learning, but sometimes we ourselves as teachers tend to lose our fire. I feel that as teachers we need to try our hardest to never lose our own fire when engaging our students in learning.
Enjoy your weekend,
Caroline Genereux
Dr. Walts,
ReplyDeleteI feel the two can live together in harmony. An unatended fire is very dangerous. The water (teachers, parents, and mentors) can help control the burn. Controlling the burn does not put the fire out but help create new greener pastures.
Best regards,
Patrick
Dr. Walts,
ReplyDeleteI feel that as teachers it is our job to light a fire in our students. As teachers we have a passion and a desire to work with students. The passion that we have to work with students should show through to our students, making them want to have a passion for something. As teachers we should never leave our fire unattended. We should always find new ways to engage our students in learning.