Learning, not teaching!

Great article: Lessons for helicopter parents from a 71-year-old educator by Sarah Hampson, Globe and Mail, Published Monday, Sep. 05, 2011 6:00PM EDT

A few quotes:
There are many gifted teachers in both public and private systems, she emphasizes, but what worries her most is the rigidity of the typical classroom teaching style. “Time in the classroom for actual learning as opposed to teaching is shrinking,” she says. “There’s a very high expectation on academics and testing. A lot of time is spent on drumming in lessons and worrying about kids who haven’t made it. Children should be given time to learn things, to not be pushed.”

“[Teachers] shouldn’t just be taught what to teach, but how children learn though play, through trying things out, though supposing and testing,” she says. “All the resources are at their fingertips. But if they did understand how children learn, you would not see classrooms running on half-hour periods, each with a different unit. You would see more integrative, collaborative learning.”
A good teacher creates an environment in which it’s safe for the child to take risks, she explains. “Children have to take risks and know they’re not necessarily going to be right.”