First Blog

  As social people, we love to give advice. “You should do this.” “You shouldn’t do that.” “The prof’s an easy grader. Just study the worksheet.” “You should buy that car.” But do you ever know all the facts? Do you see only a simplified situation with essential facts removed? Is your friend asking for advice or asking for hope? There’s a difference.   Hope is the meta-fuel of well-being, giving comfort and peace in times of distress. Is your friend asking for the advice they want to hear? For something they’ve considered but needs confirmation? For a go-sign? We, the advice-givers, all too often venture into homespun psychology. Not good, mostly because we don’t know any. Among the biggest advice-givers are friends, parents, pastors, and teachers. For younger persons, parental advice is often rejected, but the other three are on the spot.   Because, if they give advice, they must accept some responsibility if it is accepted. The pastor hopefully limits advice to simple homilies o

  The Pollinator . Another way to view the teacher is that of a pollinator . She picks up knowledge, the pollen of intelligence, and transmits it to students where it germinates into full understanding. The teacher is the carrier, but it is the student who absorbs and digests it, creating understanding for an improved life. Neither is the center of this symbiosis; each needs the other. It’s become a natural mating essential for humans and many other species where learning advanced skills for life are crucial.

  You know you're an experienced (and good) math teacher when A. You can take a student from their attempt to solve the problem to the solution without starting over. B. classroom management issues are more of an annoyance than a source of anxiety. C. You haven't heard a new excuse in years. D. You know why algebra is quite difficult for some students to learn. E. you can teach the standards and the EOS test at the same time. F. You truly delight in seeing real talent, though it may exceed your own. G. You know what kind of problems that will stimulate most, even though the problem is challenging. H. You know Vacations from teaching are both needed and necessary. I. You still get excited at the beginning of a school year. J. You read a lot about math because you like it. K. You know when group work helps and when it doesn't. M. New math teachers come to you with their teaching problems. N. You know that the "A" students make you look good

Education differentiated by campus, by course level, by private and public, and by state have long existed.  Mostly, the differentiation is cost-based.  Lower level courses are cheaper than advanced courses.  Public schools are cheaper than private schools. One state/country may have better education than another.  In this note we suggest cost-based tuition based on educational services used by the student.  This is not really new, but it is coming.  Driving factors: Education is expensive; times are hard; something must be done cut expenses; alternative and proven methods are available. Background.   We read from ancient history and up to current times how students were educated by personal teacher/tutors.  Wealthy parents hired a teacher to live inside the household and educate their children.  For example, Aristotle was the teacher/tutor of Alexander the Great.  A companion of this was the hire of a tutor to attend to individual student needs, sometimes at the home, sometimes else