How Can I Not Teach?

The chorus rings out across our land: "I am not good enough to teach. I can't teach. I don't know enough. I don't know how." Perhaps there are those who fear the joke that "those who can't, teach," and they don't want to reveal the fact that they "can't" do some things. But it is not only the perfect teachers who are called to teach; there are no perfect teachers.

The following story was told by a Jewish religious leader, the Chofetz Chaim, in the 1930s, to encourage his people to keep each other pure, and let each one teach others so that they didn't fall away.

A traveler was invited by a wealthy man to have a cup of tea. When the guest looked into his cup, he saw sediment that had settled on the bottom. "Where is your water from?" he asked. When told that the town's water came from a local river, he advised his host that the town needed a filtration system. The system was installed, and thereafter, the water was crystal clear. It worked well until a huge fire broke out some time later and burned down half the town.

The next time the traveler was in town, he heard what had happened and inquired, "Couldn't you put out the fire?" The people replied, "It took a long time for the water to work its way through the filtration system, and there wasn't enough filtered water available to quickly control the flames."

"Fools!" said the traveler. "You don't need filtered water to put out a fire!"

The Chofetz Chaim went on to explain to those who resisted his call to outreach, "There is a fire raging in Klal Yisrael. We must grab whatever water we have and use it to douse the flames. Every Jew, on whatever level he or she is on, has to use his own capabilities to help extinguish the raging flames around us.”

From the article, "Those Who Can, Teach".

The article goes on with the query: The question is not, “How can I teach?” The real question is: “How can I not teach?”

We as parents, as friends, as family, must grab whatever water we have as well, to not only douse the flames of ignorance, fear and doubt, but to nourish knowledge, wisdom and faith. As Jesus' apostles taught, we plant and water where we can, and God uses what ever we can do in order to bring forth increase. The poor widow put in two mites, which were all she had, and she was made a great example. Another poor widow shared the last of her flour with a prophet, and she was blessed herself. May we all share what we have, be it small or imperfect or even lacking some of the details. The call to teach and admonish one another was not given to only the mighty and rich and schooled, but to the weak and poor and unschooled, so that the glory might go where it belongs, when teaching is done in the name of the LORD, as all things should be.

So we do our best. And May we all see the blessings that come from sharing what we have with those who are in need.

The Virtual Learning Centre

Our older children are attending high school (secondary school) online, taking classes through the Virtual Learning Centre.  For those who are unfamiliar with online schooling, the concept may be hard to imagine. Lots of folks have asked us, "so how does that work?"

The VLC is an accredited Ontario school with licensed teachers, able to award credits and official diplomas. Because it is a publicly funded school, we as residents of Ontario, are able to attend for "free" (there are no additional fees).

VLC's School Administration, Lindsay, ON

We apply for admission online, and send in a list of programs, texts, and other resources used during their home school years, for the administration at the school to evaluate whether or not the potential student will be able to keep up with their online studies. Some home schools have started their children in online high school classes before the student would actually be in grade 9, while others sign up for only a few classes of interest, not intending to get their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) at all.  We have opted to try for taking all the credit courses that the province thinks we need, and are going for the OSSD, rather than relying only on knowledge, skill and experience to be successful in this world, since so many folks seem fairly certain that the retention of a high school diploma will save them from a world of disappointment and poverty.

(I write that a little sarcastically, because there is growing evidence all over North America showing that the ownership of a high school diploma does not in fact ensure success, or knowledge or skill, and that the lack of ownership does not in fact deter one from succeeding in life. But that is a very personal and touchy subject for many people, so I won't go into detail there today.  Just putting that out as something to mull over and possibly look into if you have the inclination. See "Victory of College Discrimination" from HSLDA, or Universityadmissions.ca.)

A typical course with the VLC includes regular attendance with the teacher and the class in the virtual classrooms, which are managed through Adobe software.  The teacher's voice can be heard, and sometimes they have a small video window so that the students can see them as well. The teacher is also able to manipulate the main window and show slides, write on a "white board", or even share video with the class. The students are able to talk with the teacher, and often each other, during the class, by use of a chat box, complete with symbols for raising hands, thumbs up or down (to agree or disagree), and even applause. Every teacher and student has a "post box" - a private email address for use only within the VLC website, which function much like a visit to the teacher outside of class, or a way to ask questions or share information with other students in the class. The site is quite secure.

All texts are available for reading online, and all assignments are to be done in a word document or power point presentation or even mp3 or wave or video, depending on the class.  Many tests are timed, so that even with an honour system in place, it would be difficult to open a separate window and do research to answer questions during a test. If a class requires additional software, a freeware source is offered for the student to download software for free, so that no additional costs are needed. Semester exams require the student to obtain a professional person to proctor, or watch over, the exam taking.

Generally, at least an hour or two PER DAY can be required to spend in each course, with all the additional reading and research, in addition to the 1-3 regular class meetings per week. It's a direction better suited to the "self-directed", and "self-motivated" among students, making this an easier type of school for students who wish that they could just learn on their own, and a more difficult school for those who need a more hands on, looking over the shoulder type of approach. Son#1 falls into the latter category, and I offer him a lot more assistance and reminders than his sister, Daughter#1, who is often ahead of other students in getting her work done (though, being a typical teenager, sometimes is distracted by the time spent with fellow students in non-school related chats, and has to cram in many assignments at the last minute).

Online students learn a great deal more about computer and internet use than many of us have, from word processing documents to slide presentations to uploading and downloading materials and programs. Son#1 is actually taking his first computer science/IT course this semester, and the VLC school offers several high school level courses in this field. Daughter#1 has been enjoying the making of a great variety of new friends (including teachers), and takes using Word and other software that many adults would find confusing for granted.

Their schedules this semester include 4 courses each.  Son#1 is taking computer science, English for grade 11 (college bound), health ed., and a career ed. course.  Daughter#1 is taking English for grade 10 (academic), grade 10 math, civics, and Canadian history.