We had one dentist in my hometown - Doc H. Doc was the only game in town and if you went with a toothache more than likely you would be missing that tooth by supper. It seemed his remedy was to just pull the offending tooth - I suspect that is all he really knew. I think Doc did his best, but I never got the feeling that he was consistently trained in cutting edge dentistry.
What kind of doctor do you want? The one that has been doing the same thing for 20 years, or the one that continually learns and improves?
What kind of teacher do you want? The one that has been doing the same thing for 20 years, or the one that continually learns and improves?
I caught part of Diane Sawyer's interview with Chris Christie - the New Jersey governor about his battle with the state teacher union - specifically over tenure. Sawyer made the comment "Isn't tenure not having to prove yourself anymore?" I immediately thought of Doc; he never had to prove himself - he was a fixture. I'm sure people got adequate dental care - but it's a stretch to say we got premium services.
It seems to me that all of us should prove ourselves (or improve ourselves) everyday by working to get a little bit better. I don't buy that at some point anyone in a field has all the knowledge and skill - there is always room for improvement. Why would Tiger Woods hire a swing coach if this weren't true? Athletes and coaches constantly preach the "get a little bit better" and "continue to improve" mantra.
Do we preach the same in education? Is professional development mandatory - that is, are teachers expected to continually improve, and yes, change their teaching practice? As I've said before - the good teachers continually examine their practice and on occasion completely re-vamp what they do.
So, what kind of doctor do you want? What kind of teacher do you want?
Doc might have been acceptable in his time - but I doubt if I would go back today.
Toby
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