A Series of Questions

Question #1: DO THE MATERIALS REALLY MATTER? WHY OR WHY NOT?

Certain materials are important to meet student’s needs. Lets define what materials are first. A material is anything that the child or teacher uses. Not all materials are important, however fundamental ones are. A school district that does not receive proper funding needs to look at the needs of the student population and prioritize. For instance, desks are not really necessary, but books, paper, pencils, teacher manuals are.

It’s all about resources and per pupil funding. If the money is not available you have to weigh the needs and the wants. More affluent areas depend heavily on parent supplementation for funding. In my school district, parents were expected to contribute a substantial amount (called a recommended donation) to cover various costs/programs. This money went into a ‘Learning Fund’. A percentage of this money was allocated to the teachers depending on grade level needs to use for supplies. If the money is not available, or parent assistance is not possible, then many of these ‘needs’ are scratched which is a huge disservice to each child. It then may become the classroom teacher’s responsibility. Most classroom teachers spend a substantial out-of-pocket expense trying to assist the needs of each and every child.

Question #2: WHAT EFFECTS DO BAD TEACHERS HAVE ON A CHILD?

What is a good teacher? They grow a students self-esteem, they are organized, have an excellent grasp of content knowledge, motivate, encourage, possess excellent people skills, strive to constantly be educated on where the students are, and can connect with the students. A good teacher can find a correlation with the student to make it real. They strive to make the material relate to the student’s own life, and relay how the subject matter has effected the past and how it will affect the student’s future. A good teacher will take the time to study the curriculum and fit it to the needs of the students. They will vary instruction to make it relevant and interesting. They should establish a positive learning environment to build the students self-motivation and self-esteem with encouragement and positive reinforcement.

What is a bad teacher? A bad teacher is someone who cannot connect with a student. They don’t fit the curriculum to meet the student’s needs. A bad teacher can be someone who is burnt out, or has just chosen the wrong profession. The educational system is designed to build upon itself. If you get a teacher in the second grade that is not effective, the students needs for the third grade will be impacted. The effect a bad teacher has on a child is a lack of motivation, and most likely a negative environment. The student’s achievements will most definitely decrease. This will greatly affect the student, and learned information (if any) will be lost which will impact the subsequent educational years if it’s not corrected.  If a child is motivated, feels valued, understood, receives positive encouragement, and is taught according to their individual needs, they will flourish.

            I have been a product of both good and bad teachers. I have always been a very divergent thinker, somewhat sit-still challenged, needing additional assistance in some areas. When my needs were met and my learning style understood, I flourished. Only a good, committed teacher would take the time and initiative to understand his/her students, and cater his/her teaching style to meet the individual needs. My fourth grade teacher was truly devoted to her kids and her craft. She was understanding and chose to implement a diverse teaching style. She would teach per child and not per class. My sixth grade math teacher was completely opposite. She lacked understanding. She thought the way she taught was ‘brilliant’. When she saw a student did not understand the material, she openly made fun of them and said, “Look, I don’t understand why you don’t get it! It’s not that hard!” Oh my…what that does to a child! It takes time to understand your students…you need to be devoted!

Question #3: SHOULD THE RICH HAVE TO HELP THE POOR:

            There needs to be some sort of assistance to help the poor with achieving a proper education.  The rich should be taxed higher than the poor, and there should be a program that takes that income from the taxes and evenly distributes the funds to those schools that are considered to be in low income districts.  The money should not go into the families pockets.  Some families are poor because of a lack of self-motivation due to acceptance.  Granted there are those that are born into poverty this is a valid reason why we should be helping the poor with education so they can have a means to an end.