Should Laptops Replace Textbooks?

The Edutopia Poll by Sara Bernard asks the question, "Should laptops replace textbooks?".  The poll revealed that 70% of people think that laptops should replace textbooks.  I personally do not agree with this poll.  Yes laptops should be used more in education, but they should not completely replace textbooks.  I think especially for younger students (elementary) the issues would be many: the laptops aren't working one day, the Internet connection is down, there are other distractions when working with on a  computer,  teachers can't see the screen and the students face at the same time, the electricity bill would go up, and so on.  I wouldn't have a problem with using laptops daily in high school and college, but let's just keep them out of the elementary classrooms.

Students and Parents Who Don't Care

Harvey Craft wrote an article on suite101.com about how difficult it is to teach students who do not care about education.  It seems that the problem is worse when the parents of these students do not care either.  The students are unmotivated and the parents are doing nothing to help.  It is difficult for teacher to stay motivated to teach when parents do not support the teachers.  Changing a person's attitude (student or parent) is very difficult for a teacher alone.  I believe this is what frustrates teachers the most and causes them to stop caring.

Grading vs. Checking Homework

Laura Varlas from Conference Daily wrote an article about homework.  She believes that homework should not be graded.  Rather, it should be checked for understanding.  It is not fair to grade students lower if they are slower to grasp the material.  I can see her point.  Homework doesn't need to be stressful and it shouldn't require help from a parent to do every night.  Parents can help from time to time, but they have other things to do to.  The most important thing I got from this article is that homework must be evaluated by an instructor on a daily basis.  If the teacher is going to give assignments, then there needs to be feedback either through grades or checking for understanding.  Otherwise, it looks like the instructor doesn't care and the students won't know how they are doing in the class.

School Maintenance Staff

Here is an idea, the next time you see your school maintenance person thank them.  Thank them for everything they do in the school.  They are very under appreciated.  A little recognition goes a long way with students and teachers alike.  It is not any different for the maintenance staff members.  Running a school takes more than teachers and students.  Everyone knows this fact.  A clean school is very comforting.  It provides students, teachers, administration and parents with a welcoming environment.

Parent Enablers

Parents too often are friends to their child rather than a parent.   Parents need to realize that it is okay for thier children to be mad or upset with them at times.  I have witnessed how parents and children interact at my school.  Some students get whatever they want.  Some students call home during the day because they forgot their lunch or text book or homework and the parents run right to school and deliver it to them.  How are kids going to learn responsibility this way?  The answer is, they won't!

Bad Teachers vs. Bad Parents

It seems like when a student is under performing in school, it is automatically the teachers fault.  That is how teachers are being judged these days.  Let's not forget about the parenting side of things.  Judy Fowlkes from Mlive.com mentions how "there may be a few bad teachers, but many bad parents."  President Obama has mentioned that he wants to weed out the bad teachers.  Judy Fowlkes says, "how are we going to weed out the bad parents?"  Parents are becoming less involved with their children's education.  They are defending their child rather than siding with the teachers.  When parents do that it is really deflating for the teachers.  Who knows better, the experienced teacher or a grade school kid?  Are teachers really to blame or are the parents?

Classroom Decoration Makes a Difference

I couldn't imagine a classroom without anything on the walls.  I couldn't imagine a classroom without any colorful decorations.  I couldn't imagine a classroom without any excitement!  You wouldn't decorate your house without anything on the walls or colorful decorations.  A classroom should be inviting for students.  It should be a place they are excited to come to.  When teachers change the decorations and bulletin boards frequently, it brings excitement to the room and energy to the students.  Students need this energy.  It helps motivate them to learn.  They need to feel comfortable in that classroom because that is where they spend most of their time.  Motivating quotes in the room are also beneficial for the students to stay on track when they get frustrated or confused with school and/or life.  There are so many different ways to make a classroom visually pleasing.  It does truly make a difference!