The NY Times article this morning on Charter Schools started me thinking about teachers and what is good teaching. Are we preparing our teachers to educate children's minds or train them for careers? Neoliberal policies are making it more and more challenging to prepare and be the kind of teachers who will help children become successful human beings first and then successful professionals second. J. Krishnamurti reminds us that "In our relationship with children and young people, we are not dealing with mechanical devices that can be quickly repaired, but with living beings who are impressionable, volatile, sensitive, afraid, affectionate; and to deal with them we have to have great understanding, the strength of patience and love". The quickly-acquired technical knowledge and use of assessment tools, rubrics and check lists serve to evaluate the least important facets of children's development and growth. The act of real teaching requires dedication, commitment and a deep understanding of the teaching-learning process that can't happen in two years. It takes time, patience, practice, dedication and a mind open to growth and self-improvement to be a good teacher...
Amita Gupta
Dr. Amita Gupta is Professor Emerita of early education and a former Department Chair at The City College of New York – CUNY with extensive cross-cultural experience in teacher education, school administration and classroom teaching. As an early childhood specialist Dr. Gupta has worked in the field of ECE for 35 years teaching in India and NYC PreK and K classrooms, teaching graduate courses in early childhood education at CUNY, and supervising teachers in early childhood classrooms in NYC public and private schools. Dr. Gupta’s research interests focus on international and comparative education; postcolonial theory; and the impact of globalization on teacher preparation and parenting beliefs. Dr. Gupta has been an invited keynote/plenary speaker at international conferences in Slovakia, Denmark, UK, China, Singapore, India, Qatar and Indonesia among others. As a Fulbright Senior Researcher she has also collaborated with educators at universities in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Dr. Gupta is a consultant for culturally responsive professional development in schools and other institutions. Dr. Gupta has published extensively including the following books: Investment in Early Childhood Education in a Globalized World: Practices and Parental Philosophies in China, India and the United States. Palgrave Macmillan, 2019. (Co-authored with G.Tan & G. Wilgus). Diverse Early Childhood Education Policies and Practices: Voices and Images from Five Countries in Asia (Routledge, 2014). Early Childhood Education, Postcolonial Theory, and Teaching Practices and Policies in India: Balancing Vygotsky and the Veda, 2nd ed (Palgrave, 2013). Going to School in South Asia (Greenwood, 2007). Early Childhood Education, Postcolonial Theory, and Teaching Practices in India: Balancing Vygotsky and the Veda, 1st ed (Palgrave, 2006).