As I talked with a fellow teacher about using project based learning and technology with my students, he commented that it really didn't matter how I taught because they wouldn't remember it anyway. His opinion was that it was all about how I treated them that really mattered and they would learn just fine with any teaching style as long as I continued to focus on positive relationships and mutual respect. He said I really shouldn't do what I do and spend the time I do on my classes as it really didn't make any difference in the long run.
Now, if these comments came from someone I did not know and respect, I would have most likely brushed them off. However, this particular teacher is incredibly strong- students, parents and staff love him. Students and parents request him for a teacher. Students do well and achieve under his care; 100% success rate with his Science 10 and 30 classes. His main teaching method is "chalk and talk". He tells stories, makes the students laugh and cares about them all, but his teaching style is quite traditional. No computers or cross curricular projects at all.
His opinion really made me pause. I teach grades 7 -9 while he teaches high school. I told myself he can say that because he teaches high school. But, he was the same with his junior high students as well. He definately does not put in the hours I do, yet his students do well. In a time when the demands keep increasing on teachers and our job continues to grow in complexity, maybe he is right. Maybe we are inflicting many extra work hours and work worries on ourselves with our methodology. We are not focusing on keeping teaching simple so we have something left in ourselves at the end of the day. My gut says no; what I and countless other teachers do above and beyond the old stand and deliver does matter to our students. But a small voice says maybe not... maybe it is just personal ego and professional pressure. Hm.
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