Thursday, July 5, 2012

Is ‘filling the pail’ any way to train teachers? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Is ‘filling the pail’ any way to train teachers? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:


Is ‘filling the pail’ any way to train teachers?

This was written by Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State.
By Carol Corbett Burris
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” I keep this quote on my desk. No one knows who authored it — it is often misattributed to William Butler Yeats. Whoever created it was wise indeed for those whose vocation is educating students upon hearing it, recognize its truth.
I reflect on that quote often these days. I worry that the pail fillers are
An isolated shot of a bucket of sand for the childrens play time either on vacation, at the beach, or just at home in the sandbox. (Matthew Benoit)
determining the fate of our schools. The ‘filling of the pail’ is the philosophy of those who see students as vessels into which