j-mac
Nuthin' but the truth
Absolutely agree Sue, but the only thing I take issue with is where you say, “personal life isn’t a focus of the class”, and I am in no way suggesting that every teacher makes it so, but we are hearing increasing reports where some teachers ARE making that a focus.The middle ground is the best vantage point, but as in all things education, is impossible to find.
The middle ground would be: if students ask, teacher will respond to appropriate questions about personal life. But personal life is not a focus of the classroom.
We turned an unfortunate corner in this when we made classrooms into "communities" of personalities instead of communities of learners. That is, the students and the learning should be paramount, not the teacher. The subject I teach is infinitely more fascinating than I am at any rate, so I don't tell hardly any stories about me. Who needs that?
And might I add it’s a detriment to the class learning. Recent test scores in several districts show a trend where students can not read, or do math at grade level. As a grandfather, I would ask what is being done to address that, short of just passing them on?