The Pedagogy of Despair runs amok
in the public schools in America. This is the pedagogy
of doom and gloom, of the everlasting rainy and
miserable day, and the pedagogy of Scrooge. This
pedagogy looks at the students as a burden to overcome.
Those who practice this pedagogy close their hearts,
minds, and spirits to the joy of teaching, the opportunity
to work with children, and the daily demands placed
on them by an uncaring system. These poor and depressed
spirits arrive for work bitter and unprepared, rushing
to make their dittos whining about what they do
not have, complaining about their students, and
making mountains out of molehills when it comes
to student misbehavior. These poor souls want to
stay home and the district to mail them their checks.
Their massive numbers in the educational ranks is
a notable effect of the success of teacher competency
testing on the quality and performance of the teaching
staff.
The Pedagogy of Hope is the opposite of the Pedagogy
of Despair. This is the pedagogy of Sunshine, peace
and happiness. The teacher who practices, at least
one in every school, stand-alone. They embrace each
day with happiness, radiating high energy, monumental
enthusiasm, passion for all things great and small,
compassion for each student, a contagious enthusiasm,
have a creativity in lesson delivery which ignites
the flame of learning in all of their students,
are sad at the end of the day and cannot wait for
the next school day to begin. These teachers wipe
away tears at the end of the school year, motivate
and teach to the Einstein in every student, and
reflect and study...reflect and study...reflect
and study...These teachers are loners, realizing
that to excel as teachers demands a pathway that
few travel and fewer understand. They know that
the way to teaching greatness is through concerted
individual effort, all day long.., and shy away
from the normal gossip, daily life, and routines
of mediocrity in the school. Through great teaching,
these teachers make great waves, which make them
targets of those who want all teachers to remain
at the normal substandard level.
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