Passionate Teachers

Todays education system has changed drastically over the past ten years. With high importance placed on standardized tests, teachers and students alike have more pressure on them than ever before. Teachers are often “graded” on how well their kids do on the tests. Students are told over and over again how important their test grade is and they feel the pressure that comes with that. Therefore, the classroom is shifting away from being a place where kids come excited to learn in new ways and develop their own strengths and creativity. Instead, it is becoming a place where kids come to memorize facts and fill in bubbles, all while feeling pressure to make a certain number on a test. How can teachers teach the test information but do so in a way that still keeps their …show more content…
His theory is that a teacher has a choice…their classroom can be a place where creativity and individuality are stifled, or it can be an exciting place that fills kids with passion to learn! He argues that the thing that separates good teachers from the best is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is contagious thus an enthusiastic teacher will yield enthusiastic students. Furthermore, an enthusiastic teacher has a better chance at motivating their students and keeping their attention so that they can better absorb the information. He encourages teachers to think outside of the box by ask themselves questions like these: How can we use movement in this lesson? Can the students reenact part of the lesson or can we learn a dance to remember the material? How can music enhance my lesson? Can we change the lyrics to their favorite song to help them remember the material? He continues on with hundreds of questions similar to those which will give teachers a starting point when trying to enhance their lesson. The main premise of the book is that teachers need to be risk-takers and outside-of-the-box thinkers, finding innovative ways to