Time Wasting

     Some teachers have the wrong priorities.  They spend the first ten minutes of class lecturing about how much time we waste of hers.  We talked for 20 seconds after the bell rang.  She talked for 10 minutes about wasting time.  Doing the math, we would have to talk 30 times in her class to equal the 10 minutes she wasted.  Some teachers focus on controlling their class.  They feel if the students are totally cooperative, they will have an easier time teaching them.  This is true but total cooperation comes at a price, resentment.

     Time wasting is an interesting subject in school.   We spend 35 minutes walking to different classes.  Is that a waste of time?  Teachers give work time for students when the work can obviously be done at home with no teacher help.  Is that a waste of time? If students come to school to learn, why waste their time with useless rants and time fillers.  Instead, if teachers can’t muster up a decent lesson plan, tell us of a life lesson they have figured out the hard way.  Show the kids something they will use in the working world.  Talk to them about something that interests them.  The biggest resentment I see from kids is when teachers assign meaningless homework. 

     How do teachers instill the maximum amount of knowledge into kid’s minds?  This is the real question teachers should be asking.  The answer will vary from teacher to teacher and subject to subject.  Two traits are universal in instilling knowledge: humor and common sense.  Kids don’t pay attention in class because the material is not interesting to them or they are tired.  Humor keeps kids on their feet and paying attention.  It’s very hard to fall asleep when the teacher is making jokes.  Common sense is another necessity.  If your students don’t understand the material, connect it to something they do understand.  This concept is so lost in the modern teaching world.  The best way to learn new information is to assimilate it to something you already know.  In the thirst for knowledge, time wasters are detrimental to success.  Students waste time yes, but teachers are just as guilty.  Together, we can change to become more efficient and learn as much as possible.   

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