Conservative Teaching: A Bad Thing?

Conservative teaching is something that has it’s place in the classroom for some educators, but is it the type of teaching I want to lead my future classroom from day to day? I’m not really sure to be honest with you. In response to Katie’s previous blog, I completely understand what she is saying about conservative teaching and pushing the boundaries. I think, as a student studying to become a teacher, it is so easy to shun the idea of being a “conservative” educator.  The word conservative automatically brings about ideas of non-experimentation, the usage of outdated practices, and only sticking to a set way of teaching.  Being part of classes at Westminster has taught us to think outside the box, look at everything from different perspectives, and learn to teach in a way that will constantly be connecting to our students.  That is all well and good and I believe in those practices, but sometimes I find that this is hard because a large chunk of my education was conducted under conservative-style teaching. Even in my music classes. I think I turned out pretty well and I still have great passion for music and teaching. I feel like the classes I take here are sometimes saying that the way I was taught was wrong or not expansive enough. Furthermore, I know am I supposed to teach in a way that is connecting to my students’ world, but I know the conservative aspect of teaching quite intimately.  Sometimes I worry that once I get into my own classroom and practicality is more apparent than it was in the world of Westminster, that I will perpetuate a cycle of conservative teaching. A type of teaching that while not necessarily considered wrong, will not push the boundaries of my students in the way that effective teaching should.  This is not to say that I think I am bound to be a conservative teacher and that I will not use the tools that I have acquired here. I do, however, worry about teaching in a way that I, personally, wasn’t taught for a majority of my life.  Is conservative teaching wrong or are we just being idealistic college students? Maybe we will constantly strive to be out-of-the-box educators, but conservative teaching could have its place as well. I hope I don’t sound too pessimistic, but I have a feeling some people can relate to my thoughts. If you can, blog about it!