Educreation

Education is ever changing and ever expanding. It is worldwide and yet based state by state. It takes up approximately 13 years of our lives (in western culture) but shapes the rest of our existance. How well we do at school changes how people will see us for the rest of our lives, it will decide what job we get, where we live, who we associate with. It's amazing the sociological influence education has on our lives. For me though, it is a passion. Learning is my passion I am learning more and more every day.

I am currently studying education at the University of Canberra and am learning much more than just how to teach the students that sit before me. I'm learning how education changes our lives, I'm learning how technology has changed the world and most importantly that we're expected to teach students to live and survive in a future that we can no more predict than the stock market. Education is a lottery. If I teach you fantastic literacy skills and skills in writing and reading, and you enter the world of technology and recession my teachings will not help you. I will not have educated you in how to live and thrive in your world. I've taught you to live and thrive in mine, growing up in the world of Public Servants and reports. The world is changing and each student is capable of succeeding in this world, but how do we know what's coming?

We can't.

It's a terrible thought that one persons choice, my own, on what students should learn, can change their life. Not everything a teacher does in the classroom can change a life, not everything a teacher teaches will be learnt. But you can't pick what things you teach will stick. My English teacher in high school taught me much, most of which I don't remember. Now I'm studying to be an English teacher because her passion and persistence in the subject made me realize just how important those skills are.

Ah, but here is where my entry ends. The point of this blog shall be to explore my learning and see how my thoughts on education change as I go through the system. Will I come out still thinking that English is important? Will I still think that books are much better than their electronic counterparts (a.k.a the Kindle)? What will change, what will stay the same? Should be interesting to find out.