Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results (Blog #13)

 Summary
Using an old fashion tradition, such as strictness, works to make kids do better in school. The new conventional system is a gentler approach with new ides such as projects and collaborative learning. However, Joanne Lipman thinks otherwise and thinks that there is nothing wrong with memorization and pounding information into a child's head. There are 8 principles that try to prove why the conventional method is wrong. They include: A little pain is good for you, Drill - baby - drill, Failure is an option, strict is better that nice, creativity can be learned, grit trumps talent, praise makes you weak, praise while stress makes you strong.

Opinion
In a sense, I agree with some of the opinions while others I disagree with completely. And the principles I do agree with, I agree to a certain level. Do I think that we need more discipline in schools? YES! There are way too many kids that are being brought up to be lazy and have everything handed to them. That's just what America is teaching society these days. Sometimes I even feel the laziness of society in my own school work. I believe that once the class enters the room for the first time, you have to have a more strict persona about you than normal so that they know they are in a classroom that takes learning seriously. Then gradually along the way become a little more silly and goofy. It's worked with me when I teach color guard for band or dance teams, so I assume it would work with children as well. I also believe that America doesn't teach kids well enough that it's okay to fail. I believe kids are raised to think that success is the only option to rise to the top and be a great student. I completely disagree because unless you fail, you never learn. And kids don't quite understand that. I also believe that if you give TOO MUCH praise, then yes, the child becomes weak. But I've grown to learn that you must give credit where credit is due. If I tell a child to fix something and they do, obviously I will give them positive feedback. But if they fix it and it's not correct and I see that no effort was put into it, then I will call them out on it and ask how they can make it better. I believe the article has some good, strong points. But in today's society, those points can be stressed only so far.