Advice to Teachers from Terry Bullock





Introduction
The "Advice to Teachers" entries in the IAE-pedia are mainly written by long-time educators who want to share their accumulated wisdom. They are responding to the following request:


 * Based on your many years of experience as a teacher and teacher of teachers, what words of advice would you like to pass on to all preservice and inservice teachers? Keep in mind that the goal is to help improve education for all students throughout the world.

Words of Advice
In looking back on my forty years in Education, I have begun to reflect on the things that make for a successful teaching experience whether you are a student teacher, a first year teacher or an experienced one. Often you have seen lists of what you should do to ensure a positive experience; but I have decided to take a different approach and provide a list of things to do to ensure a miserable teaching experience.
 * Make many inflexible classroom rules so you cannot make even a perfectly reasonable exception without boxing yourself into a corner.
 * Have only one-way communication with your students. Do not engage in any two-way interactions and never solicit student reactions or input.  After all, it is YOUR classroom and students cannot possible provide insights or knowledge about what is in the curriculum.
 * Postpone all feedback on papers, projects, tests and quizzes as long as possible as suits your own convenience.
 * Use a lecture-only approach, even though only 5%-10% of students have a strong auditory modality.
 * Use no hands-on activities. Too often they lead to noise and other classroom disruptions.
 * Should your voice tire, distribute plenty of worksheets to keep the students both busy and quiet and disengaged.
 * Humiliate students in front of their peers so that they will be able to run that tape in their heads for the rest of their lives.
 * Avoid calling students by name. Instead use phrases like ‘Hey, You”.  Or only call on certain favorite students, giving others a free pass.
 * Downplay linkages between reading and writing. After all, they are two separate subjects.
 * Make sure that learning is never fun. You are not there to enjoy yourself and neither are the students.

This is only a partial list of things you can do or avoid depending on the type of experience you would like to have. I would encourage you to add to or modify the list as experience indicates and to discuss your experiences with others. You may also want to use this as a checklist if things are not going well for you in the classroom.

About Terry Bullock
Education


 * Ed.D. Major: Reading. Minor: Evaluation. (1976). Indiana University. Dissertation: An Investigation of the Judicial Evaluation Model: A Case Study of the Evaluation of the Division of Teacher Education.


 * M.A. Secondary Education. (1969). Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.


 * B.A. Political Science (1967). Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

Professional Experience

Professor – Reading and Critical Thinking (2004 to retirement) Center for Access & Transition – College of Applied Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Professor – Critical Reading and Thinking (2002 to 2004). University College, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Associate Professor – Developmental Reading (2000 to present). University College, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (1998 to 2000). University College, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (1997 to 1998). University College, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Associate Professor – Developmental Reading (1988 to 1997). University College, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Director of Reading – Reading and Study Program (1988 to 1995). University College, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Coordinator of Reading – Reading and Study Program (1986 to 1988). University College, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Assistant Professor – Developmental Reading (1983 to 1988). University College, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Systems Analyst – (1982 to 1983). Great American Insurance Company. Cincinnati, Ohio.

Director of Reading – Division of Teacher Education (1977 to 1982). University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.

Assistant Professor – Secondary Reading, Division of Teacher Education (1977 to 1982). University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.

Visiting Assistant Professor – Secondary Reading, Division of Teacher Education (1975 to 1977). University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.

Associate Instructor – Evaluation Team, Division of Teacher Education (1973 to 1975). Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

Teaching Assistant – Reading Program (Summer, 1974). Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

Graduate Assistant – Evaluation Team, Division of Teacher Education (1972 to 1973). Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.

Title I Reading Teacher – Hess Upper Grade Center (1970 to 1972). Chicago Public School, Chicago, Illinois.