What is more valuable in a teacher, getting another to learn or providing accurate information?

Question

Not everyone has the gift, patience and persistance to inspire others to learn. This is clearly valuable. However, if the information being taught is inaccurate or dead wrong how does that value measure up? As the father of young children who come home excited about learning and to then come to find that often that information is incorrect I began to ponder this. I asked my children and each had a different response. What do you think?

Answer 1

The fact is, teachers are not that smart. Most only have a bachelors degree and the degree is easily obtainable.

Our society is the problem... we don't want to spend what it takes for educated teachers.

Answer 2

Nothing like it, if the teacher can combine accuracy with effectiveness of teaching, helping to learn well the accurate material meant to be taught/learnt! But, getting a student to overcome learning difficulties and getting the student to learn is a shade more important!Anyone can take the horse to the water, it takes real ability to get the animal to drink!

Answer 3

no one is perfect. and most teachers still got lots of stuff to learn.

i just want to say it is not totally the teacher's fault. u know, teaching and learning are two connective parts in the educational system, they are mutually interative. it happens the teacher delivered the right message, but students get them wrong.

Answer 4

Remember, a teacher is one who is iving the accurate information to students. On the other hand TEACHER is itself is a very valuable. If a teacher is not accurate or if he/she is not providing required knowledge, he/she is NOT a TEACHER.

Answer 5

I really do believe a teacher needs to have both ability's  having one without the other really is just a waste

Answer 6

I've been watching 'Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader' lately and I find the ones that strut around telling anyone that will listen 'I got me a PhD' are truly myopic.  It is not the teacher that  gets a child to learn but one that causes a child to 'want' to learn that I admire.  We have to much info now, teaching should expose them, let them decide if it is interesting to them. Give them monkey's a break, teach them to enjoy learning.

Answer 7

This is a tough one... I'd say a desire to learn is more important. We get told false information all the time by other people and its up to us to seek out more information to find out true or false. Sometimes some information people aren't ready for, like how it is important to understand subtractions long before we learn about negative numbers.

Answer 8

Well, there's the joke about some teach and some educate.

If the kid isn't "getting it" you haven't taught, and you're just as valuable as an accurate video tape.

Answer 9

I would say accurate information because you can't make a person learn they have to realize that they need to learn and understand themselves

Answer 10

finally tis all bout learin d rite tings....which obviously means dat d teacher has 2 b accurate....cos if students find out dat d teacher is wrong.....only disrespect follows n students only tend to laf at dem rather dan listen to em...a gud teacher must motivate his/her students to listen understand n raise doubts....only den wil learin b complete

Answer 11

I do not thing a teacher can give inaccurate information for he is trained to teach his curriculum to students year after year

Answer 12

Whoa!  Now that is deep.  While I believe it is very important for information to be accurate, providing an avenue for someone to "learn" has far greater advantages.  It is like the story of "Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day.  Show a man "how to fish, and feed him for a lifetime".  I go with the "getting another to learn".  Good question.  Worth a star.

Answer 13

I provide accurate information.  If a parent requests to see my textbooks, videotapes, I allow them to.

Answer 14

This reminds me of reading all about history in elementary and middle school....and learning years later that that is merely our version of said history, not the actual facts or the nuanced versions.....we were always the victors, always did the right thing, etc.

I think correct info is far more important than the patiently inspiring people to learn incorrect information....imho.

Answer 15

I've learned a lot even from teachers whose own information was not all that accurate if they got me to look into the subject matter further.  After all, if a student is inspired to gather more information about a subject matter, s/he will eventually find out the truth.  On the other hand, of what value is accurate information that the students don't learn due to lack of interest?