Learning from teachers

In the UK, probably in Europe and America too, many of those one finds in the milonga have done classes. Even people who believe a lot of what is said here in The Outpost still go to classes. One guy goes I think because he gets more dancing with women when they don't have the same choice they have in the milonga - although I doubt he would comfortably frame it in those terms. There is a lovely reader of this blog who teaches and I am curious to see what his teaching is. 

"Learning from teachers" is almost a contradiction in terms because you don't really learn from educators.  You learn from exploring and from guides.  An educator just wants to stuff your head with things they want to tell you or that will earn their keep.  Most seem grossly out of touch with the needs of the people they should serve and serve it should be and should be thought of, yet still it is not.  Teachers do not serve those who should learn from them.  They control others, they decide, they are in charge, they make themselves figureheads, someone special, someone deserving particular respect.  Oh, how we and our poor children are gulled and brainwashed.  

For part of his homework recently my bright nearly ten year old was  told to: "Taking care with punctuation, write the name of: a) your teacher; b) your school".  So after five years of schooling they are being asked to recall that proper nouns have a capital letter....  

This is sadly, par for the course.  We don't bother with homework like that any more.  We used to do it when he was younger.  The drama, the upset, the misery of making a smart five, six or seven year old who had already been in school all day come home and write out words they already know, three times and then put them in a sentence as well.  And that was just the start of the homework.  After years we woke up.  I woke up.  School dominates too much of our time already without insulting homework such as this wasting our precious home time together.   We have moved school twice and will do so again at my son's request but it is the same everywhere, at least in our council area.  Various friends in England have said, "tell the governors" but 'egalitarian' Scotland doesn't have governors, they have toothless, useless, unhelpful 'parent councils' who hate to rock the boat and don't ever raise any issue remotely "difficult".  In fact, that supposed equality in Scottish society is just a mask for anyone who can to grab power, as unsurpisingly was reported about head teachers domineering over parent councils by Glasgow's Herald.  An earlier article in the same paper discusses that problem of unaccountability in Scotland's schools and how governors would be better.

I asked my son recently what he likes best about the school he is currently at, which is under quite horrific, not to mention menacing management and is backed up by the even more menacing regional council which is heard regularly trotting out platitudes in the local paper in response to the arson in school, smoke bombs, child on child vicious attack, widespread bullying and suicidal children in their area of 'responsibility'.  It is all very sinister.  PE and playing in the playground he said.  It is a shame they don't see that for themselves and can't build learning into more of those sorts of games. But actually what they are learning (or rather, not) has, sadly, become the least of my concerns given all the problems with the management.

The respected Argentinian milongueros Tete, and Ricardo Vidort taught (both deceased). Bennie Bartels teaches; Christine Denniston taught (listen to her here, on music, for example). I haven't met any of these people but they are ones who, as I have heard it from others, did or do not teach the typical way or are people worth listening to.  Some dance teachers I know, particularly Argentinians, have interesting and useful insights but you hear that usually one on one.  I don't even mean in a private lesson - just in conversation. The valuable stuff is not what you learn from them in class.