Page 3 - HIWT Summer 2011 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

A MESSAGE TO HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS

By André Odermatt
President, Hobart Institute

In the winter 2010-11 issue
of The World of Welding,
I discussed the idea that
perhaps too many students
are going to college, based
on the poor graduation rates.
In the spring issue, I talked
about the trend that students
want more time to learn. At
that time, I had no intention of
creating a series of articles about the subject of education;
but when I recently read an open letter* to President Barack Writing is the process of putting on paper (or on a digital device)
Obama by Daniel Tanner, Professor Emeritus in the graduate thoughts about the knowledge gained through experience
school of education at Rutgers University, I felt a need to share or reading. For many, writing may be hard work but it is a
an opinion with you. I believe this is the last editorial in this skill that can be acquired through exercise, just as welding.
series on education. (Maybe!) My suggestion is that every person should be able to legibly
write with proper spelling and composition of a sentence in at
Much has been written about American competitiveness in the least one language, the mother tongue. Whether a student is
world and that K-12 education is tied directly to the nation’s proficient can best be established by some standardized tests.
economic future. As we know, strong emphasis is placed on
putting a college education within the reach of every American Mathematics is a skill like reading and writing that is used in
to “win the race to the top,” using the latest slogan coined by just about every job and profession. It discovers relationships
the Obama administration. The “No Child Left Behind Act” between data. A single number is a data point. Comparing
has apparently outlived its usefulness and a new “program” two numbers or two sets of numbers provides information.
is proposed to pour more borrowed money into a system that Proficiency requires exercise and can best be measured using
requires a serious overhaul. standardized tests.

Professor Tanner makes the following profound statement in “Numbers talk, everything else walks,” is an old slogan. There
his letter: Standardized tests are error-oriented. Real education are different branches in mathematics and it is an ideal field
is idea-oriented. for life-long learning, just like welding! The three Rs are not
obsolete, I believe. They are the foundation for any profession,
Even in today’s fast-paced world, I argue that reading, writing, regardless of the area of expertise. However, in observing the
and arithmetic are the foundation for an education, be it post- writing skill of many of our students, I am wondering what
secondary for a trade or for a college and university education. kind of tests they passed to obtain a high school diploma. Well,
And proficiency can best be established through tests. maybe they had real education, idea oriented, as suggested by
Professor Tanner.
Much of the world’s knowledge can be found in books that
today are in electronic format as well as printed text. The My message to high school teachers: If you’re graduating
ability to access and use this knowledge requires the ability students do well in Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, you
to read. Reading, just like welding, requires exercise. High gave them a basis for intelligent thinking. They represent
school students should be encouraged to stretch themselves, much of what is considered “to be intelligent.” A test is worth
reading things that are more complex. Active reading involves a thousand words.
interacting with the content, comparing information, agreeing
or disagreeing with it. This type of reading ensures a high
retention of the content. If the student reads several pages and
remembers nothing, he is not a good reader. This can best be *Education Week Vol.30, No. 19, February 2, 2011
established with some standardized tests.

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