KEVIN
Over the past year, Crystal and I have had the opportunity to observe our daughter providing homeschool education for our six-year old grandson. It has been delightful to not only witness Joey’s amazing educational advances, but also to see the marvelous interaction between mother and son. As a result of a pending divorce, the prospects for continued homeschooling for her children is being challenged. The suitability of our daughter, a university educated, English literature major’s ability to teach is being called into question. The prospect of being forced to place the children into floundering public schools is not only disconcerting but has prompted me to reflect on education in general and the role of teachers specifically. What does it take to be a good teacher anyway?
Obviously children need to learn in order to prosper in life. Reading, writing and arithmetic skills are essentials for every child and serve as the fundamental basis of any educational system. Even the least trained educator, with the aid of an established curriculum, should be able to handle the task of helping a young child become functionally literate and learn basic life skills. But in this day and age, the emphasis in the West is on educating the next generation of mathematicians, scientists and computer gurus. Admittedly, the educational rigor and teaching skills necessary to develop in-depth knowledge of various subjects and the ability to apply principles to real world problems may require additional expertise and more highly skilled teachers. In fact, I am very beholden to those teachers who have had the patience to bring “slower” students like myself through the intricacies of advanced math, science and language. Their skill and dedication is to be commended.
Who are the Great Teachers?
However, there are lots of teachers, many of them in this day and age who happen to be homeschoolers, who are very capable of passing along basic knowledge and skills to students. Is being a good teacher enough? What does it take to be a great teacher? When I watch our daughter… when I think of the special teachers I have had in Catholic schools and at the public university… what is it that I see that highlights greatness? What I have experienced beyond the mere act of learning is the life-shaping influence that is at work when we experience a great teacher. Whenever I hear someone reflect on the experience of their overall education, inevitably they will share the opinion that one particular teacher had a profound influence on who they are as a person. So, the great teacher is the one whose interest in the student doesn’t stop at their learning but focuses on their future. In other words, the great teacher is not focused merely on education but also on formation.
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CRYSTAL AND KEVIN SULLIVAN
