http://www.good.is/post/good-teacher-bad-teacher
As the year draws to a close and we begin to formulate our priorities in terms of what to tackle, I highly recommend re-reading Steven Brill's fantastic piece of journalism about New York City's ongoing attempt to rid its classrooms of ineffective, under-performing teachers.
I'm not sure why I've always been fascinated with the teaching profession (I know, there should be more examples, but stick with me). Maybe it's cuz I kinda want to be one. I mean, we're all teachers, in a sort of way, and I think I am/would be pretty bad at it, but (intermixing meanings here) the hours are great, the rewards are stupendous, and the feeling of transferring knowledge to someone else is up there with riding a bike at night through the city. It's something I really want to practice every day. It's an instant high, it's repeatable/reproducible, and perhaps best of all, it's self-sustained within a good conversation/communication. Having, learning a different perspective, gaining knowledge about something else not by trying it, but through explanation and/or observation is really what it's all about. ugh... such a great feeling. And then to expand on it!.. to try it!...
Yeah, I think that's what it is. Two steps: learn and experience. Awesome. (As an aside, I was thinking if those could be, ever would be better interchanged... off the top of my head, I can only think of it happening at a great concert, a great relationship, or a great bike ride. Really I guess, if I admitted to myself, with any experience that blows you away before you get a chance to learn about it... implicit vs. explicit learning?.. hmm.. kinda. And yeah, that's tied in a with a future prepared post ;)
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