Here's a wacky notion: teach more practical skills and knowledge early in the curriculum. Use practical applications instead of arcane wisdom to provide some of the exercise of the mental skills. And when practical, go deep early. Have some classes which are valuable in and of themselves. "You will need this for Nth Grade" and "You will need this for college" gets old.
This was a harder read than the previous installment. I bogged down in the discussion of math education, just like I did while growing up. But this picked up tremendously after that, with a big finish at the end.
Your point about "guy stuff" teachers needing experience might be true of all subjects - younger/less experienced teachers can't explain things with as much practical wisdom, and older kids might not take them as seriously. This probably depends on the age difference, too, though; a 25-year-old could easily teach elementary school, but not high school
This was a harder read than the previous installment. I bogged down in the discussion of math education, just like I did while growing up. But this picked up tremendously after that, with a big finish at the end.
Maybe I should have pulled out "Teach More Guy Stuff" as a separate post for easy linking...
Your point about "guy stuff" teachers needing experience might be true of all subjects - younger/less experienced teachers can't explain things with as much practical wisdom, and older kids might not take them as seriously. This probably depends on the age difference, too, though; a 25-year-old could easily teach elementary school, but not high school