It is often said that teachers also need to keep up the pace of this fast-changing world to acquire cutting-edge knowledge as many other professionals do. Although I should admit its own advantages, I still disagree with the argument because it is more important to teach the rudiments properly, and teachers need to have adequate time to interact with students.
To begin with, it can't be more emphasized that the fundementals are vital for students to aquire further knowledge. If teachers were forced to update their knowledge, they would spend most of their time on studying for themselves, not figuring out better methods to convey conventional knowledge to students. Then a lot of students can't learn the basics well, causing more difficulties in further education. For example, I had a friend who were highly interested in further topics and studied college-level mathematics when in high school. At that time, I just kept concentrating on the curriculum. After entering a college, he talked me in person that he had a difficult keeping up the lectures while I was performing well.
Also, teachers should have enough time to pay attention to their students. Knowledge is not the only thing that can be learned in school. By having enough conversation with students and sharing ideas with them, it can be educational in students' social skills. From my personal experiences, I had been very introverted when I was in middle school. But my homeroom teacher, who was in charge of PE, concerned me a lot and always came to me with smiling face. He even took me to a ski resort in winter break and taught me how to ski. His effort had a positive effect on me so I could feel changing myself in a better way.
In conclusion, it should be noted that teachers are special in that they can build students' basis of knowledge, as well as inner characters. By encouraging teachers to perform only for students not forcing them to be competitive, everyone can achieve far more satisfactory result. |