What was that teacher doing playing with Teddy bears anyway? Why wasn't she teaching children how to read?

Question

or do maths? In all honesty this was a rubbish teacher wasn't it? Don't get me wrong I don't condone Sudan's actions in any way

Answer 1

Actually, the way I read it, she was using the teddy bear to encourage the students to write...each student took the bear home and wrote a short story about it...compiled into a book written by all the children. This is a perfectly valid (and creative) technique for teaching children to tell stories and put their thoughts into writing. The ability to express yourself is as fundamental to education as reading and math.

Edit for Bill Brasky..."maths" is a perfectly acceptable (though thoroughly British) abbreviation of the term mathematics...didn't you pick up the other clue that the writer might be British ("rubbish")??? (not saying that's the case, but perhaps educated in the UK at least?)

Answer 2

The U.S. educational system has been so broken for so long that any place with a working system seems strange...

For instance, the US educational system DEMANDS the use of the 7th most complex of 11 cataloged algorithms for "long division."

I see no value in forcing a child to use an inefficient algorithm when several better algorithms are known... The only problem would be teaching the elementary TEACHERS a new method... Of course, I had a 4th grade teacher in a major metropolitan school system swear to me that there was no "other algorithm."

Bill Brasky: "Maths" is short for Mathematics, it is the form most often used in the UK, and virtually all mathematicians are familiar with it and a great number of US mathematics professionals use and prefer it as well...

Answer 3

My son had a Teddy to bring home from school, and each child in the class taken the teddy home from school.They all drawn pictures in a book at written a story about what the Teddy and the child do when they got home.
It was like a weekly diary.
It helps children to show how your child is developing eg
story telling, writing, drawing, interacting their are many reason's why this is a useful tool for teachers to use.
I'm quiet surprised how many people do not know of this method of teaching and learning

Answer 4

maths? What kind of teachers did you have?

The taking home of a stuffed animal is a VERY VERY common thing in young elementary school. A different child get assigned the stuffed animal along with a journal each weekend. They have to either record or draw (depending on the age group) what they did with the stuffed animal over the weekend. When they come back, they share what they wrote/drew with the class and then the journal/bear get passed along to the next kid. In that activity, you learn writing skills, reading skills, public speaking and presentation skills, just to name a few.

Answer 5

I studied in South America and instead of a teddy bear, the teachers gave as an egg, to learn to be reponsible.

Answer 6

What a stupid and ignorant question.

First you make out she was a rubbish teacher..... uhm... have you even spoken to her for even half a minute? No I didn't think so.

Have you observed even half a minute of one of her lessons? No I didn't think so.

You seem to assume that teaching 'must' be done 100% of the time kids are on school property or was that you talking crap and making yourself look stupid?

You don't condone Sudans actions, yet you attempt to belittle someone you have never even spoken one word to, oh my, how very ironic.

Answer 7

She let the children vote on the name democratically, which is why she is being punished. Kids like that don't grow up to accept the oppression they dish out over there.

Answer 8

She was probably trying to bring the US educational system to the Sudan. Maybe she succeeded, and that explains why they are such a backward nation.

Answer 9

I think I read somewhere that she used having the children vote for a name and taking it home to care for it as a lesson on democracy, teamwork, and responsibility... or something.

Answer 10

You've obviously NOT got any children of your own, otherwise you would know why she was using the Teddy.