No Burp Back Education!

I do not believe in "Burp Back" education. Memorization to me is a tool but not true learning. A student is little better than a parrot if he or she cannot use the information being given. I want to inspire my students to think independently and come up with their own ideas. I am going to be an English teacher and English is one of those subjects that can involve a lot of interpretation. I will be teaching many books and stories and there will be a lot of class discussion. I had an English teacher who made Shakespeare painful. All he did was tell us what the lines meant and we were not allowed to give out own opinions on the essay final. He only wanted to hear what he had said. To me this is a crime because it deprives students of the ability to rely on themselves and their interpretations. I am king forward to having my own classroom so that I can start undoing the damage that burp back education has done. It deprives the educational system of any meaning. In the real world people are not given all the answers so why should they be
force fed them in high school? There are few straight answers in English. Everything relies on interpretation. I actually did a group podcast on the evils of burp back education. To me it is the antithesis of learning and something to be avoided. It is important that students know their opinions and thoughts are valid. Sometimes school is the only place where they will be told this. I want my students to feel comfortable stating their own opinions and not automatically assuming they are wrong.