TEACHING: How to think is key

The headline: "Why our schools are in crisis." The by-line: Doug Weir. The piece destabilized some residing irritations in my mind. A compulsion to "make contact" lurked in my head, for days.

The image of student/teacher adversity, which Weir's piece evoked, was an image not only of a local problem, but also national. The image revealed student behavior, best described by no other words than crude, rude and unfeeling. Young people have wonderful instincts, and some have crass behavior.

Education is a "marketplace," sellers and buyers. Students come to this marketplace to "purchase" something, teachers to "sell" something. Chaos ensues if each party does not understand what the other one wants. Teachers are selling "teaching." But, teaching of what? Students are at this marketplace to buy "something." But they don't know what they need. Teachers, make your primary mission "TEACHING HOW TO THINK," not facts (students can look these up on the Internet) such as birthdays of dead presidents, etc. Using "thinking," students will know what they need. Teachers, then, will be selling the "product" students want.

Teachers, embellish your presentations with a showman's charisma, to foment interest in your presentations. I can't imagine a young person not finding some interesting courses in school curriculums today. Children have always played with worms, frogs, collected rocks and liked seeing fireworks. This behavior is the seminal origin of "interest" in zoology, biology, geology and chemistry. Are you with me, teachers?

Teachers, feel no attack. This is Socratic dialectic.

FREDERICK FUECHSEL

Coeur d'Alene