“Students, please face me when I teach!” “Sorry, no can do, Mrs. M, our regular teacher seats us facing away from the speaker.” Current public education intentionally directs the focuses of 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, et cetera-year-olds (50, even 100% of classroom) away from the speaker, the topic of study.
Why? Adults choose (for themselves) to face the speaker, all speakers: auditoriums, symphony halls, ball games, television, horse-racing, swim meets, ocean views...always toward the action.
Are educators concerned about student socialization? Order up another recess.
Why educators find themselves a productive path to learn while drawing a blank with children is another mystery. What’s good for the goose could be good for the gander, and the gosling.
In excelling classrooms, students face the action and have multiple aides prodding them along. Age-appropriate distractions are happenstance, not preordained.
“Oh, yeah, we always read with our head-phones on, our regular teacher doesn’t really care.” H.S. Shoddy, Regular Teach! How do even the best students survive these lackadaisical, obstructionist teachers?
“Hey, are you a Sub? Can you watch my class for 5 minutes so I can refill my coffee? Mrs. A and I do this all the time.” The across-the-walkway teacher was gone for a half-hour— during which I ran between 2 classrooms monitoring/teaching 60 + students. I declined his second request.
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