Despite serious problems in our educational system, many great teachers still
manage to thrive and inspire their students.  Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on and appreciate the best teachers we've had.
         Self-confidence and interest in the subject matter are critical keys in education, while boredom and fear destroy learning.  My best teachers all loved their subjects, inspired fascination and curiosity, and helped build my confidence.  If not for Mrs. Enchef, a 7th grade history teacher who saw and drew out my potentials at a crucial time, my "academic career" might have suffered terribly.  Another great history teacher, Mr. Decker, encouraged lively debate about history, values, and current affairs among the high school seniors, and really got us thinking.  Mr. Rowley inspired a life-long sense of wonder at the magnificence of physics and the natural world.  In physical therapy school, my teacher "AJ" exuded a phenomenal enthusiasm that I found contagious.  Dr. Cronquist, a philosophy professor, would consistently arrive to class late, with disheveled appearance and a jumbled pile of books and papers, and then proceed to deliver lectures that were pearls of clarity, organization, and beauty.
         By eliciting a momentary but unforgettable realization, one teacher in particular really changed my life.  Mr. Goodman was one day very frustrated with our 8th grade science class.  He took a deep breath and asked us:  "Why are you all here, in school?"  We were dumbfounded.  After a few moments, someone said "to learn things."  There was mumbled agreement, but the science teacher shouted "No!"  We were shocked.  He turned his back to us, then slowly wrote a single word on the board:  THINK.  He pointed to it, saying "you're here to learn to do this."
         From then on, I "edited" my school experiences:  if they were just stuffing me with details and facts, I studied only well enough to perform adequately on tests; to save time I learned to size up teachers and anticipate what would be on their tests.  But if I was learning to think better, to reflect, to listen, to problem-solve, to organize my thoughts, or to speak and write clearly, then I paid close attention and worked at it.
         In college, I majored in philosophy because it emphasized mastering these global skills which I figured would apply to anything in life.  Much later, I returned to college for a second bachelor's degree, this time in physical therapy.  The importance of good problem-solving skills was mentioned, but the emphasis was on memorizing vast amounts of information.  Much of this material is important for being a good PT, but such information cannot be effectively utilized without the problem-solving, thinking, and communication skills that I had learned much better in philosophy.  Einstein summed it up, saying that "imagination is more important than knowledge."
         Fear is the greatest enemy of learning.  In November 1963, my first grade teacher pinned something to my shirt to take home.  That night my parents were very concerned because I had several "D's" on my report card.  I cried and protested:  "nobody told me we were going to be graded."  Thus I began to associate learning with a fear of failure.  This fear makes us hesitant to try new things, and thus stifles our growth.
         Fear also stifles intelligence.  I'll never forget taking a physics test on which I had to get a good grade to make it into PT school.  The clock was ticking, the problems were very difficult, the pressure was intense, and I just couldn't think.  I came close to screaming out my contempt for the whole process and leaving the room.
         A paralyzing fear can hinder learning new skills if we too often ask "am I doing it right?"  When I started playing guitar, I purposely avoided books and lessons at first, so that I wouldn't even know what the "right" way was.  Today, I'm no great musician, but I can play very freely and really express myself.
         In addition to fear, boredom is another deadly enemy of learning.  There is
something fundamentally wrong with making small children sit still for hours.  There are millions of things to be interested in.  We select a few of these, and define a curriculum.  If this fails to capture the imagination of a student, we assume that they have a problem.  This process creates a problem.
         John Holt was an elementary teacher who wrote compassionately about children and education, and became a strong advocate for homeschooling.  He said that "...intelligence is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do...the intelligent person, young or old, meeting a new situation or problem, opens himself up to it; he tries to take in with mind and senses everything he can about it; he thinks about it, instead of about himself or what it might cause to happen to him; he grapples with it boldly, imaginatively, resourcefully, and if not confidently at least hopefully; if he fails to master it, he looks without shame or fear at his mistakes and learns what he can from them.  This is intelligence.  Clearly its roots lie in a certain feeling about life, and one's self with respect to life."
         The best teachers don't play on our fears, but rather magnify our hopes, encourage our dreams, inspire interest and curiosity, and help us find and nurture our own best talents.  I've been blessed with several great teachers, and I'm very thankful.
 
 

           Growing Without Schooling was founded in 1977 by John Holt, and has resources and information about homeschooling.  Also here you will find "John Holt's Bookstore," and links to related websites.
           The Homeschooling Information and Resource Pages have alot more information.
         The Natural Child Project has a vision of "a world in which all children are treated with dignity, respect, understanding, and compassion. In such a world, every child can grow into adulthood with a generous capacity for love and trust. Our society has no more urgent task."  This website is very colorful and loaded with material.
            Unschooling and Quality Education:  an interesting discussion here.