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Friday, September 05, 2008

That damned thought

What's Mallard raving about today?

Teachers, Thinking for yourself.

Translating Mallard-Speak: "I prefer not to think for myself. Tell me what I think."

7 comments:

GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. said...

I frequently turn students' questions/complaints around on them, because if I just immediately TELL them what I think about a piece of writing, they will just mindlessly accept whatever I say without considering the issues or learning anything about them, nor will they improve their critical thinking skills in any way. It makes a lot of sense that Republicans would be opposed to critical thinking, but STILL...

Seriously, has Tinsley EVER been more obsessively mean-spirited, petty, and deranged than he's been this week? 'Cause I feel like he may be setting some sort of record here.

Kaitlyn said...

I was going to say what Geox said, only from a student's perspective.

What the hell? Was he homeschooled by parents that were homeschooled?

Was he drunk?

Or is he just insane.

Or we're uptight gits who don't get his sense of humor. See, he's mocking the right's anti-education stand (who can be anti-education) by acting like he never learned anything in school. Like critical thinking.

How will knowing what ONE teacher thinks about something help you out later in life? Like when you get a new teacher? Or have to write an essay about the subject?

Trust me, young Bruce, she had an opinion on the subject. And they only say that when you act like a bump on a friggin log and refuse to think!

If this week is any indication, Tinz was the kind of student I hated to share the class with. They took forever to get things, not because of a genuine learning problem, but because they refused. Because they were assholes in training.

I bet Tinz never figured out a problem by himself, or realized something about a piece he hadn't before, or he'd know the satisfaction you get from doing it yourself. (With some teacher prompting, if necessary, without the answer.) I thought he advocated personal responsibility?

When I actually needed help, my teachers always helped. And didn't make me feel stupid when I made a stupid mistake.

Kaitlyn said...

Hey Tinz, remember a comic from earlier this week? This is when there really (usually) are no right or wrong answers.

Opinions can't be wrong! You can misinterpret the facts to reach the opinion, but the opinion (what you think about X) is never wrong.

Though when this one kid said everyone liked Tessie Hutchison in the Lottery, and that was why she died, well, er...

Anonymous said...

Actually the full right-wing mantra is:

"Tell me what to think, as long as I agree with it."

Michael Foley said...

Damn teachers, encouraging the kids to think for themselves again! Students should be TOLD how to interpret a work of fiction. But only by someone who agrees with Mallard, of course - otherwise, that would be indoctrination.

Slager said...

So... he's been telling the same joke all week. Oh, sorry, I meant "joke".

Anonymous said...

You cannot correct a mistake to teach a student if you do not know where they went wrong. And you cannot know where they went wrong if you give them the answer before asking for their process.

Elementary.