As this issue is posted, the school year is nearly over. I don't know how other teachers feel, but I typically have mixed emotions about the end of school. I feel a sense of accomplishment for my successes and those of my students: for the concepts clearly conveyed, the young minds actively engaged, the new approaches attempted, and the difficult questions answered. Encouraging intellectuality is a good and worthwhile endeavor. I am proud of the part that I play in promoting the success of my students. I am sure that many of them feel more confident about their own ability to learn mathematics after being in one of my classes. I am excited, too, about the prospect of time off. I am eager to get a few more minutes of sleep each morning, to go on family trips, to take long walks with the dog, and to have the extra time to read the books I cannot read during the year.
But (there is always a "but," isn't there?) I tend to dwell more on my regrets than my successes. How could I have reached the bored student(s) in my Precalculus class? Why didn't I make more time for individual conferences with students? Couldn't I have explained derivatives more clearly? Considering my shortcomings is not simply an exercise in self-flagellation; annual reappraisal of the effectiveness of my teaching is a crucial step in the effort to improve my teaching. I am quite sure that most of my colleagues go through a similar process.
It is more difficult, but equally important, to teach our students to be more self-reflective. They need to be able to examine their own work and identify those activities and habits that require improvement and then implement those improvements. Under the guise of teaching literature or biology or Greek, educators are really promoting character development and maturity. We need to find opportunities when we can give feedback (as Grant Wiggins would say) not only on course material but also on how a student is learning. Clearly, success in school cannot be separated from the way a student learns. Teachers must see themselves as "study coaches" as well as experts in their field of study. I guess you could say that for all of us our field of study is study!
Our new issue contains articles that discuss a broad range of school issues. My online conversation with consultant Grant Wiggins about grades and assessment concludes, teacher and administrator John Murray catches us up on current brain research, teacher Buck Johnson talks about teaching Dickens to eighth-graders, plus much more.
Finally, we would very much like to start a "Letters to the Editor" department; all we need are your comments. Please feel free to e-mail me compliments, criticism, questions, or observations - long or short. If we receive enough, we will include them in upcoming issues.
