Teachers

I had the opportunity to watch teachers this week while working. I was working and so were they. I was working a gig where we were filming elementary school teachers in Arizona as they taught their classes. Language Arts (formerly known as English class), Math (still known as math) and science class (also still science).

Since I haven't been in elementary school since I was in elementary school, I really don't remember how we were taught. However we were taught, it was not like this. But the program or style of teaching is kind of new and innovative. It's called TAP. I don't really know what it stands for. TAP is a program to help teachers teach better and gives them incentives for results.

It was kind of fascinating to watch the teachers teach. It was much more interactive and personal and one on one in many cases. The students were asked to think for themselves and draw their own conclusions. They weren't told they were WRONG. They were asked to look at their answer and try again, this time figuring out where they went wrong on what step of the problem or question.

I was asking questions of the TAP representatives to better understand the style and system and reasoning behind the way the teachers taught. It was cool to see teachers energized and happy to be there.

Also I found the way the teachers interacted with the class interesting. The audience participation was fun and kept their attention.

At one school I was told by one of the teachers that the principal who I'd been talking with about theatre and acting and whatnot for 20 minutes had taken in 4 kids from his school. Their parents were in jail. Who knows what would have happened to them. Child protective service? Foster care? The principal took the kids into his own home even though he has 4 kids of his own. He's even going to court to take care of them. That was kind of inspiring. You don't find that kind of altruism in today's world.

It was a good week. Long days but gives me hope that students have good teachers. And in light of the recent killings at a school in Connecticut I know that any one of those teachers I met would give their life to save their kids.