Teaching Is Not Rocket Science

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Teaching is not rocket science.  It is in fact far more complex and demanding work than rocket science.  Richard Elmore

To any one in the teaching field the above quote is unquestionably true.  Why?  Because when you teach, you are dealing with PEOPLE not machines and on any given day, the variations between students and classrooms can be huge.  I thought I would make a list of a few of the factors that teachers need to take into consideration every day as they plan and teach lessons:

• Student's ability level:  What are they capable of learning?
• Student's personality: How are they best motivated?
• Student's home life and history: Does it support and encourage learning?
• Student's learning style:  How do they learn best... auditory, visual, kinesthetic?
• Student learning disabilities:  Do they have areas where they need different strategies and interventions in order to learn?
• Student's health and physical well-being:  Are there physcial impairments that make it difficult for them to learn?

Since I've never been involved in rocket science, you may think that I'm not qualified to make this comparison.  However, I can say that teaching and counseling in a school is an enormously difficult and complex job.  Dedicated teachers and counselors are continually learning, trying new strategies and evaluating the results.  Would you agree?

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