Teachers Then and Now...
Teachers of one-room school houses were community leaders who taught students reading, writing and arithmetic; who disciplined children when they didn’t follow the rules or when the pranks became too outrageous; and who prepared their charges to deal with structured career paths and rural community life. “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” or “The early bird gets the worm” were common pieces of advice given to achieve success.
Today, our society’s expectations for children and their education have changed dramatically. Schools must now prepare our youth for a global society that is technologically advanced and economically interdependent. Teachers are charged with the task of developing communicators, problem solvers, social advocates, and techno-savvy team players. Education has become a collaborative endeavour shared amongst teachers, students, parents, principals, the community and society at large.
Teachers in one-room school houses often worked in isolation. Each year they followed a similar course of study for eight grades prescribed by the Ontario Ministry of Education. An inspector came by to the one-room school twice a year to check the register, ensure there were minimum teaching resources and that the school was in adequate condition, listen to students read, and ask them questions. There was little opportunity for professional development. Teachers would prepare work on the blackboard for each grade, which did not dramatically change from one year to the next, and students were expected to do their work independently with little opportunity for discussion. “Children should be seen and not heard” was a goal to strive for.
Eventually, the implementation of school buses made it possible to have large community schools. Nowadays, teachers work in teams to plan and implement curriculum, which is constantly evolving. Today’s school culture focuses on student ownership and parental engagement. Students are taught to self assess, and learn to take more responsibility for their own progress. They are encouraged to actively listen to their teachers and classmates, participate to the best of their ability, control their behaviour, learn to work in groups and respect each other’s ideas
Previously, a the one-room school teacher’s word was law, and parents supported the teacher without question; if a child got in trouble at school, they often received a more severe reprimand at home. Now teachers communicate curriculum and expectations to parents who are invited to see what is happening in the classroom and who are encouraged to take a more active role in their child’s learning.
Schools continue to be places to instill common values. In the early days, in all Ontario schools (whether one-room or not), students were taught religion from the Christian perspective. Mottos such as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and “Honesty is the best policy” reflected some of those values. Students would memorize passages from the Bible or a few lines from Shakespeare such as “There is nothing so kingly as kindness; There is nothing so loyal as truth.” Other proverbs like “A stitch in time saves nine” and “If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again” are still used to encourage hard, diligent work. In today’s multicultural society, children are also taught respect, tolerance and appreciation of cultural, religious, racial and intellectual differences.
After teaching for over thirty years, I take heart in knowing that, like the teachers of old, I continue to make a difference in many people’s lives. It has taken perseverance to address continuous change in pedagogical documents and instructional approaches in order to help students learn. It has taken commitment to work with colleagues to implement curricular expectations, support students with a wide range of abilities and learning styles, and apply proper assessment and evaluation methods to promote progressive learning. It has been my calling to teach children with enthusiasm and a smile each day. I still get a ‘high’ when a student finally ‘gets it’, and like so many others before me, I am proud to call myself a teacher.
Today, our society’s expectations for children and their education have changed dramatically. Schools must now prepare our youth for a global society that is technologically advanced and economically interdependent. Teachers are charged with the task of developing communicators, problem solvers, social advocates, and techno-savvy team players. Education has become a collaborative endeavour shared amongst teachers, students, parents, principals, the community and society at large.
Teachers in one-room school houses often worked in isolation. Each year they followed a similar course of study for eight grades prescribed by the Ontario Ministry of Education. An inspector came by to the one-room school twice a year to check the register, ensure there were minimum teaching resources and that the school was in adequate condition, listen to students read, and ask them questions. There was little opportunity for professional development. Teachers would prepare work on the blackboard for each grade, which did not dramatically change from one year to the next, and students were expected to do their work independently with little opportunity for discussion. “Children should be seen and not heard” was a goal to strive for.
Eventually, the implementation of school buses made it possible to have large community schools. Nowadays, teachers work in teams to plan and implement curriculum, which is constantly evolving. Today’s school culture focuses on student ownership and parental engagement. Students are taught to self assess, and learn to take more responsibility for their own progress. They are encouraged to actively listen to their teachers and classmates, participate to the best of their ability, control their behaviour, learn to work in groups and respect each other’s ideas
Previously, a the one-room school teacher’s word was law, and parents supported the teacher without question; if a child got in trouble at school, they often received a more severe reprimand at home. Now teachers communicate curriculum and expectations to parents who are invited to see what is happening in the classroom and who are encouraged to take a more active role in their child’s learning.
Schools continue to be places to instill common values. In the early days, in all Ontario schools (whether one-room or not), students were taught religion from the Christian perspective. Mottos such as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and “Honesty is the best policy” reflected some of those values. Students would memorize passages from the Bible or a few lines from Shakespeare such as “There is nothing so kingly as kindness; There is nothing so loyal as truth.” Other proverbs like “A stitch in time saves nine” and “If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again” are still used to encourage hard, diligent work. In today’s multicultural society, children are also taught respect, tolerance and appreciation of cultural, religious, racial and intellectual differences.
After teaching for over thirty years, I take heart in knowing that, like the teachers of old, I continue to make a difference in many people’s lives. It has taken perseverance to address continuous change in pedagogical documents and instructional approaches in order to help students learn. It has taken commitment to work with colleagues to implement curricular expectations, support students with a wide range of abilities and learning styles, and apply proper assessment and evaluation methods to promote progressive learning. It has been my calling to teach children with enthusiasm and a smile each day. I still get a ‘high’ when a student finally ‘gets it’, and like so many others before me, I am proud to call myself a teacher.
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