Neil Postman & Charles Weingartner (1969) Teaching as a Subversive Activity - Chapter 4

Pursuing Relevance

"There are thousands of teachers who teach 'subjects' such as Shakespeare, or the Industrial Revolution, or (cont) http://tl.gd/72ia6pless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I must admit, this is why I became a teacher. I became a teacher because I loved art and thought I could use my teaching position to support my work as an artist. After all, most artists don't make enough to live on. I would probably have stayed with teaching for this reason if I had not been thrust into situations where the error of this thinking was put into question. I don't think this is a bad reason to be a teacher, but I also don't think it can be the only reason to be a teacher. One must have higher aims than just to spend everyday engaged with a subject you love. You also have to care about students and love the act of learning just as much as loving the content you teach. When it all breaks down there is no real such thing as subjects we teach but students and learning are both very real.

"it is also insane for a teacher to 'teach' something unless his students require it for some identifiable (cont) http://tl.gd/72ibliless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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This quote reminds me of this gem from the Internet Archive collection of videos from the Prelinger Collection:

"The game is called 'let's pretend,' and if its name were chiseled into the front of every school building (cont) http://tl.gd/72ijbbless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"'Lots of kids will do worse the second time around,' he said, 'Not because they cheated or anything, but (cont) http://tl.gd/72ile3less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"In a learning environment there are at least four critical elements: the learner, the teacher, the (cont) http://tl.gd/72immqless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"There is no way to help a learner to be disciplined, active, and thoroughly engaged unless he perceived a (cont) http://tl.gd/72invgless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"unless an inquiry is perceived as relevant by the learner, no significant learning will take place." Postman & Weingartnerless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"The enthusiasm that community leaders display for an educational innovation is in inverse proportion to (cont) http://tl.gd/72itnpless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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@anderscj how's subversive activity coming ? Great book.less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhoneJerrid Kruse
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@jerridkruse loving Subversive. Think I enjoyed End of Educ better though. Gonna start ch 5 shortly.less than a minute ago via Twitterrificanderscj
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