Alan Dundes Quotes

Data adds concrete information to a teacher's observations and intuition, but it will never replace experience, personal relationships, and cultural understanding.

At the beginning of every semester, I ask my graduate students whether there is something I should read that will help me understand their work.

Kids go to school and college and get through, but they don't seem to really care about using their minds. School doesn't have the kind of long term positive impact that it should.

I think our voters have made it clear. Unless someone can demonstrate to me that having larger class sizes is better than having smaller class sizes, I'm not going to support it.

What all good teachers have in common, however, is that they set high standards for their students and do not settle for anything less.

I wasn't a very good teacher.

I was recruited to teach 9-year-olds. I taught for two years.

Top-up fees mean that universities are increasingly under pressure to confer degrees upon students, who perceive the degree as a commodity they've purchased. Failure doesn't enter into anyone's calculations.

I loved teaching. I used to teach fourth grade.

Good teachers know how to bring out the best in students.

We expert teachers know that motivation and emotional impact are what matter.

The main thing I am interested in is my experience as a teacher.

It's always extremely interesting to speak at colleges. My books are taught in many colleges in America and are part of the educational system, so it's really important to me. I don't believe in so many things in life, but something I believe in is education.

Any good teacher knows how important it is to connect with students and understand our culture.

I do think we know that a teacher who knows what he or she is doing, knows their subject matter, and knows how to impart knowledge to kids is a critical piece of closing the achievement gap.

Effective teaching may be the hardest job there is.

Like most of the other teachers, I'd done a bit of teaching and we all think we're great at what we do, but you realize that normally you have an audience who are all onside, who all want to listen.

I had a public school education - 3,000 kids when I was there. And there were a lot of teachers who would just sit there. You'd come in and sign your name and the teacher would just sit there at the head of the class and you would literally just have to stay in your seat for 40 minutes and that was the only thing you'd have to do in class.

I'd like to think I'm a great teacher.

An education program is, by definition, a societal program. Work should be done at school, rather than at home.

I teach well. I used to really like teaching a lot. I enjoyed it a lot and I was good at it.

One of my great laments is that education today seems to have... be less about passion and more about process, more about tactic or technique.

School district policies and practices have not kept pace with student and teacher needs.

There are certain authors that do not turn students on; it is the truth. Homer happens to be one of them.

At different times I taught humanities, social sciences and pre-vocational education.