A Teacher's Place in Education

After concluding the final chapter of the text, there were a number of issues circling around the same idea that stood out to me as very important.
A students education is potentially centered on a number of possible methods, however it remains a constant that teachers are the nucleus of a child’s learning.
So, if students fail to produce ideal results, who is to blame? Is it the teachers? Is it the methods they are using? Is it the student at fault? It appears as though through this text, the methods used by each school were scrutinized, regardless of results. Phoenix Park not only created a successful, but open ended, interactive, learning environment for it’s students. And even though these students did better on their exams than those of Amber Hill, the method used to achieve these great results was reprimanded. The teachers of Phoenix Park also took time in collaborating with other teachers and researching interesting projects and examples for their students to complete-what else can teachers do in order to make a successful classroom method, and have it approved by boards. Are teachers today placed in a situation that they simply cannot conquer? I guess it’s an on going quest for perfection. And although yes the classroom is a place that continues to grow and expand, and yes no method is perfect and yes there is ALWAYS room for improvement-where is the recognition for teachers that have begun to expand their own practices?

This book provided me a great deal of insight in terms of the different methods of teaching mathematics, and the impact it has on students. It is truly amazing to consider the impact our way of teaching can shape a young student, not only in one subject area, but how it can shape a students perception of learning. I think this book taught me the importance of striving to keep mathematics interesting for all, and incorporating differentiation of methods so that every child can reach their full level of potential.