Memoirs of an Amnesiac

kids these days... not sure whether I should be amused or horrified.

Did I just mention these are just snippets? Wait, till you really come in close contact with them...you'll go crazy...lol

yeah. but then, i'd rather be a teacher to children rather than to adults acting like children.

Yeah, but it could get to be insane...Sometimes, you'd question why you ever spent four years in college for it. It's probably the reason why some teachers take Masters, because kids are difficult to understand these days...

The main issue here is that teachers nowadays are more concerned about UPLOADING DATA to students (just handing out what's already in books, the internet, etc). What teachers fail to do is to actually TEACH students how to SIFT PROPERLY through the acquired data--granted, this requires talent, but nonetheless can be TAUGHT to teachers...but then sigh, the vicious cycle occurs (if one only fed DATA to teachers...) ...and the horrific cycle goes on.

-RODION

And getting a Masters degree isn't a guarantee that the teacher will then know HOW to train students the skill of SIFTING THROUGH DATA. No, this requires that the teacher knows the scientific method, and rational thought.

-RODION

Originally Posted by rodsky

And getting a Masters degree isn't a guarantee that the teacher will then know HOW to train students the skill of SIFTING THROUGH DATA. No, this requires that the teacher knows the scientific method, and rational thought.

-RODION

Good point..

Originally Posted by rodsky

And getting a Masters degree isn't a guarantee that the teacher will then know HOW to train students the skill of SIFTING THROUGH DATA. No, this requires that the teacher knows the scientific method, and rational thought.

-RODION

.. hahayz. i just love it when people just say what they want to say without actually experiencing the actual workload and ethics of being a full time teacher.

.. it's so easy to say: DO THIS AND DO THAT.. but at the end of the day; all this you're doing is just to feed your own ego.

.. it's pretty easy to comment on anything nowadays coz all you have to do is to research on the internet and VIOLA!! you're a "master" of something. With the advent of the internet there are many mr.know.it.alls.

.. what i'm trying to say here is, people should shut the heck up if they don't have ACTUAL EXPERIENCE in a certain field, coz they'd only ridicule themselves.

Originally Posted by sevmik

yeah. but then, i'd rather be a teacher to children rather than to adults acting like children.

.. have you done this so far ?? have you taught a bunch of kids lately ??

marius, just a litte FYI.

I am the head astronomy lecturer for Voyager, a travelling science exhibit company based in Davao City, founded in Brunei Darrusalam. Since October last year, we have visited over 70 schools in the Davao City, General Santos, Koronadal, Mati (Davao Oriental), and Surallah regions. I give 20-minute lectures inside a planetarium dome, with up to eight sessions each per day, for spans of up to three weeks.

Voyager Davao

Prior to this, I used to be a university instructor at the Mindanao State University, at Marawi City, teaching introductory English Literature, Public Speaking, Form and Style, and the Humanities. I did this for four years. In between, I have been involved in various education-based projects in MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (where I worked as a Media Production Specialist) including one involving a training simulation for Lunar Geology exploration and research for a university based in West Virginia, US (when I was working with virtual worlds such as Second Life and OpenSim, as a tool for distance learning), which was designed specifically to target kids from grades 10-12.

So, when I say something in these boards, it's not merely because of the fact that I have "easy access to Google in my fingertips"--the opinion I share in these boards and whatever advise I give on matters pertaining to things related to education do come from direct hands-on experience, and practical application of what I have learned first-hand, on site.

So the first lession YOU should learn, is to stop assuming that if you've seen one goat, you've seen the ENTIRE herd.

-RODION

.. rodsky, good to know that. Nice of you to defend yourself. It's nice that you're not one of those mr.know.it.all in the forums.

Originally Posted by marius

.. have you done this so far ?? have you taught a bunch of kids lately ??

Lately, no. Several years ago, yes, though not in a mainstream school as shey and rodsky does. I spent 2 years as a volunteer teacher teaching children of farmers in the hinterlands of bohol, surigao del sur, and samar. Subjects covered were basic math (aritmetics), reading and writing (bisaya, tagalog, and english), Filipino history, and health-related topics (mostly hygiene). It was coursed through a local NGO and was part of my training as a student journalist. It is not as specialized nor as systematized as that done by professional teachers, but that's really beside the point of shey's blog post, isn't it?

As for having taught adults to make such a comparison, I admit that was my cyncism talking. Most adults I've interacted with so far have big mouths and even bigger heads. Perhaps that's why I have been blogging here in iStorya more than my regular blog as most of those in the blog community here are humble and genuinely intelligent. I sure as hell don't get this kind of discussion in my other blogs.

On another note, I agree with what you said regarding the internet being abused by know-it-alls. What's worse, the internet has also made us poor judge of characters. It has become, quite disturbingly, easy for us to judge a person based on online persona -posts, comments, stories from common online friends, etc. I admit I'm guilty of this, as there have been numerous times that I get very emotional to the point of being too subjective. In the end, I simply decided to leave know-it-alls alone as long as the have no significance in my life. A difficult test in patience, I know, but hey, in the end not only have I avoided being dragged into ridiculous and pointless discussions but also increased the limits of my patience.

I didn't imagine this blog would solicit great ideas from you. It truly gives me an insight into the trend of learning among students these days.

If there were chords I struck somewhere, my apologies. I was just merely trying to write on a musing, some form of outlet from the rather tedious task of balancing different activities in school. I had in no way any intention of hitting anyone, suggesting a sect or something. If there were undertones I shouldn't have emphasized, they were merely coincidental.

Over and above everything, I love my work or I wouldn't have stayed longer than I thought I would in this profession. I strongly think something can be done about the situation rather than just merely talking about it.

:clap:
Stimulating conversations and the growing of passions ---they're here!
For as long as I live, I am a student. An ageless teacher, lover of the academia!

@rodsky -- nganong ingon man ka nowadays, there have always been crappy teachers and amazing ones. Dili ra man na nowadays. There is no good 'ole days when all teachers were great.

@Dorothea: I agree. There were days when the teachers were awesome but there were also the ones that really get into our nerves.