Teaching in Today's Education System
The excellent editorial "President as Educator," Sept. 15, cites many valuable innovations advocated by the presidential candidates to improve education, but it does not address the basic need: to stimulate the student's desire to learn.
Every student has an innate curiosity - a desire and an innate ability to learn. But this can be easily smothered, not only by the lure of undesirable attractions, but also by an atmosphere of mediocrity and uninterest. Outstanding teachers, however, overcome this by stimulating the student's desire to learn.
There are many effective ways to stimulate this desire. One method is programmed instruction. This breaks down difficult subjects into parts and leads the student, step by step, through each part, thus giving understanding and retention to the ideas involved.
Unlike most innovations in education, teaching ideas and skills does not require money, but it does require the will and dedication of teachers to develop plans of education that teach ideas and not just facts.
This is true education. Stowell Mears, Darien, Conn.
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