Me? A teacher???

To me a "teacher" was someone with a degree in education. One of those amazing people that could turn a bland bulletin board into a work of art and rattle off a dozen different ways to present material to a group of children. Someone who could inspire a love of learning in a child while managing all of the administrative tasks of grading, lesson planning, etc. Truthfully, I had never really considered myself a teacher. I had demonstrated to a group of adult how to use various computer programs. I could tell a Bible story to Jessie's Sunday school class. I could give directions to my Mom over the phone when she couldn't figure out how to do something on their computer. But I didn't really consider myself a teacher. Then I came across the book Schoolproof by Mary Pride. Suddenly, teaching seemed much easier than I had previously thought, and it turns out I had been teaching all along. Who knew? Here are a few principles that I have tried to apply from this particular book.

1. Before teaching anything, every school needs a basic foundation: well disciplined students and some basic organization. I cannot teach my children if they do not listen and obey. I cannot teach if the appropriate books, pencils, etc. are MIA again.

2. There are only a handful of ways to present information. (I've reorganized and renamed some of them to make it easier for me to remember.) Different methods work better for different subjects.

• Show someone the information: Demonstrate, illustrate, visualize, watch a video, dramatize
  
• Tell someone the information: Read aloud, lecture, discuss, parrot, memory aids (songs, chants, poems, etc.)
  
• Provide hands on learning: Experience, experiment, simulate, direct (step by step), research, field trips, games
• Provide the resources and allow the student figure it out
  

3. Similarly, there are only a handful of ways to assess a student's learning. (Again some reorganization and renaming for my own benefit.)

• Show me: Quizzes and tests, compositions, models, drawing, dramatizations
• Tell me: Repetition, narration*, discussion, analysis*, comparison*, presentations (*oral or written)
  
• Use/apply it: projects, practice, teaching, challenging
• None of the above: wait and see... (It's amazing how much assessing can be done simply by watching to see what information my kids incorporate into their own activities, especially their imaginative play.)

4. Contrary to popular belief, people tend to learn in spurts. Educational progress looks more like a stair step than a straight line. (My translation: Sometimes it takes a while for a concept to click Be patient and be prepared to set something aside and try again later if it's just not clicking.)

5. "The goal of Christian education should be to give people the tools to love and serve God and their neighbor."