Summary: I get a bit wiser. Prospective teacher clients may like the news. Former teacher clients may say both "at last" and "too little, too late."

I've spent decades (this is not hyperbole) teaching teachers to build classroom tools that would allow them to actually teach what they intended to teach. I'm convinced in the absolute worth of those skils. They have great relevance to the inside-and-out understanding that could help a teacher make touch-up repairs or do a major rebuild of their classroom. However, my front end approach is flawed.

You ask, "front end?". You know! The part where your prospective client decides that he/she needs what you're selling (in my case teaching) and 'commits' to it. Part of my flawed approach has had to do with the fact that what I taught was required as part of a program. Students had no choice in the matter. Thus, I had the illusory luxury of being able to skip dealing with "why" except in a more incidental, person-to-person manner with students when and if they raised the question. Generally speaking they did.

But, alas, too late for some!

For some, being 'forced' to learn something creates a 'victim' mentality which significantly reduces higher thought processing. For others the fact of 'compulsion' may also catalyze resentment; resentment and constructive creativity are not comfortable coworkers.

Had the course been only voluntarily taken I would have had to have altered my front-end --the part that gets people to take the course. The name "Instructional Accommodation of All Learners" may be topical and even right in some deep sense. But, from the teacher's point of view, it isn't a "grabber".("Sounds like Correct Speak" or "Whaa?" might be the response). Titles like "Classroom Tune Up" and "Textbook Repair" are closer to being tailored to match a teacher's sense of practical need.

Actually, the most accurate title might have been "Building a course from the ground up". Even then,the busy teacher of 25 has a 50-60 hour week well filled just running the classroom, correcting papers and having meetings. From that point of view each might well ask, "Why take a course on 'reinventing the wheel' [making a curriculum]when I already have a textbook [which IS a curriculum, right?] that I have to use?"

For quite a few teachers there are reasons to learn the "ground up" skills rather than continuing as is. That would not, however, be their initial belief. Adjust, "Yes!" or "Maybe!", rebuild, "No way! " [That would require too much discomfort while thinking about past teaching].

Analogically speaking, there are reasons for taking a complete engine mechanics course as a means to acquiring "oil changing" skill. But there would have to be no choice and a sense of urgent need before the full auto mechanics curriculum would be seen as anything but overkill. Similarly for the ability to build a curriculum from the ground up. Teachers would rather get the skill that they (a) have the time to acquire and (b) which fits their initial sense of need.

So, as I plan my online consultation and teaching activities I am reconfiguring my marquee and business cards. As you surf the education section of the web keep a watch out for "Classroom Tune-up" and "Textbook Repair".