Jerry Wilson Over Coffee Appearing each Wednesday in the Edinburgh Courier, the weekly newspaper in Edinburgh, Indiana and periodically in Indiana's Daily Journal newspaper.

September 9, 1998

Teachers on Task

A teacher's job is not always easy. I know, because I have been a teacher.

Teachers must not only teach, good teachers must also inspire, and they must be good disciplinarians. And although their "official" workday lasts but seven hours or so, few teachers can get all their work done during the workday. Like the students they teach, teachers also have homework -- sometimes lots of it.

When I was teaching, about 10 years ago, one of the favorite catch phrases was "time on task." It was generally agreed that students in class, in order to garner the most from their education, must spend more "time on task," and less time doing other things, like waiting for teachers to take attendance or talking to the person sitting next to them. But, in a possible effort to generate more interaction with their students, some teachers and administrators apparently have forgotten (or redefined) what "task" means.

When I was in elementary school -- way back when we used blackboards that were really black -- I remember several classes occasionally being corralled into the cafeteria to watch a movie. The movie was invariably about something educational. I specifically remember one about how orange juice was made. At least I think that's what it was about; we didn't have VCRs back then, so the sound quality of the 16 mm film was less than ideal.

Today's educators have a much fuller library of videos to show, and better equipment to show it on. No longer must students be corralled into a large room to watch a movie shown by the school's only projector. Now, there are TV sets in every class. And, about field trips -- I don't ever remember taking a "field trip" when I was in elementary school. Maybe I did; I just don't think so. We took two or three when I was in high school -- that's 2 or 3 total over four years.

I have nothing at all against teachers showing movies or going on field trips. In fact, I think these are good supplements to the curriculum. However, I also think both devices are abused.

One teacher at the school I taught at for eleven years spent an entire week of class time rerunning the video taped Civil War program from TV, "The Blue and the Gray." I'm no historian, but it would seem that there must be a more efficient method of teaching Civil War history than to spend five days watching a TV rerun of the event; its theatrical embellishments notwithstanding.

Then, there are those elementary school teachers who insist that showing the Disney movie "Pocahontas" is of greater educational value than actually teaching their students about the historical figure.

And, worst of all, it is now considered appropriate for teachers to show theatrical movies in class, just because they don't have anything else planned; or for groups of teachers to spend all day, out of the classroom with their students, to go on field trips that have no educational value whatsoever.

It wouldn't be so bad if these "outings" were a reward for a job well done. It might be appropriate to have a picnic or a small celebration to commemorate other worthwhile and significant accomplishments of students throughout the year. But it is not appropriate, in my opinion, to show theatrical movies just because the grading period is about over. It is not appropriate to take whole classes to state parks to ride horses or go fishing. And, it is not appropriate to take any field trip unless the educational value of that trip is outlined in advance, and unless the students know what they are suppose to learn from it.

Teachers are paid well, by taxpayers, to educate children in the most efficient manner possible -- to increase "time on task." They are not paid to watch movies or to baby-sit kids on all-day "outings."

Copyright © 2001 by Jerry Wilson.