Texas High School Student Gives His History Teacher a Lesson
A video of Duncanville High School student Jeff Bliss has gone viral after a classmate recorded his rant in the classroom last week. Bliss is an 18-year-old sophomore who returned to 10th grade after dropping out. He says he realized the importance of an education for his future. He now takes his education and the learning of others very seriously.
http://youtu.be/3bYv2AKPZOk
Bliss had questioned why the teacher didn’t give the students more time to prepare for a test. She asked him to leave the classroom and he began sharing his opinions of why students were not reaching their true potential. He claimed the teacher only passed out worksheets and packets instead of creating lively and engaging discussions.
In Bliss’ opinion, the classroom time was a waste and challenged the teacher to get the students excited about learning. He also felt teachers must reach out and touch the hearts of their students to truly engage them.
“Just as much as the students need to give an effort, the teachers need to give an effort too.” said Jeff Bliss.
A local television station reached out the school district for comment. The district said they want both students and teachers to be engaging in the classroom but believe Bliss could have expressed his concern in a better way.
One of Steve Spangler’s mottos is to “get it to the dinner table.” Lessons should be so engaging and exciting that the kids can’t wait to share it at the dinner table. Packets and worksheets should support the lessons but not be the entire lesson. No one has ever gotten inspired over doing a worksheet.
So many teachers are inspiring and engaging but some fall short. Teaching shouldn’t be constantly entertaining, but it should spark and excite the students’ interest in learning. Students must meet the teachers halfway. Education is a collaboration.
Where do you land on this issue? Has the teacher been given a fair chance? Did Bliss unfairly rant about his teacher or did he have a point? He obviously touched a nerve, because his rant went viral.
http://youtu.be/VbwMbsMNj_Q
As a retired Texas teacher, I would not want to pass judgement on the teacher without knowing more. I am sure the young man is bright and is sincere in his beliefs. However, I think he could have found a better way to handle it. I do have a question as to how it was caught so completely on video if it was totally spontaneous. The think I am totally furious about is that the student was back in class the next day and the teacher is on paid leave. Are you kidding me? The public will perceive that to be an indictment of the teacher. That undermines the teacher’s ability to function effectively in the classroom in the future. Not sure anyone handled the situation well – not the student or the administration. I can’t comment on the teacher since all we have is the student’s opinions.