--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we teach today’s students as we taught…" description: "\"If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.\" — John Dewey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/john-dewey-545_education_if-we-teach-today-s-students-as-we-taugh_1365156.png" --- # If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we… ![“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” quote by John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/john-dewey-545_education_if-we-teach-today-s-students-as-we-taugh_1365156.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/john-dewey-545_education_if-we-teach-today-s-students-as-we-taugh_1365156.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad6/john-dewey-545_education_if-we-teach-today-s-students-as-we-taugh_1365156.png) > “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Teaching with outdated methods deprives students of future opportunities and growth. **In simple terms:** Old teaching blocks future learning. Key Takeaway Update methods to empower tomorrow. Themes education innovation future Mood inspirational challenging Type motivational educational When to use this quote - classroom instruction - curriculum design - teacher training - policy reform Key Concepts pedagogy progressivism Questions to Reflect On - How can educators stay ahead of societal changes? - What barriers exist to modernizing curricula? A Different Perspective Resistance to change can be strong in institutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Rob Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rob-tomorrow-4684271/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Students Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-taught-2737941/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-yesterday-2014801/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-today-3324181/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Today Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-students-2315034/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) ## Related quotes > [You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/you-cannot-teach-today-the-same-way-you-did-yesterday-to-prepare/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“if we use how we were taught yesterday to teach our children today, we are not preparing them well for tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/if-we-use-how-we-were-taught-yesterday-to-teach-our-children-today-we/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [So often we rob tomorrow's memories by today's economies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/so-often-we-rob-tomorrow-s-memories-by-today-s-economies/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [Before my class I saw my students were unusually moody. I asked why? A little girl stood up and said: Teacher can you not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noble-yabi/before-my-class-i-saw-my-students-were-unusually-moody-i-asked-why-a/) [Noble Yabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noble-yabi/) > [“Children are our future. We teach them today; what will they do tomorrow?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-r-liverman/children-are-our-future-we-teach-them-today-what-will-they-do-tomorrow/) [Tanya R. Liverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-r-liverman/) > [Today's students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-prensky/today-s-students-are-no-longer-the-people-our-educational-system-was/) [Marc Prensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-prensky/) > [Today's students can put dope in their veins or hope in their brains. 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The notion that some subjects and methods and that acquaintance with certain facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/there-is-no-such-thing-as-educational-value-in-the-abstract-the/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Men live in a community in virtue of the things which they have in common; and communication is the way in which they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/men-live-in-a-community-in-virtue-of-the-things-which-they-have-in/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [We can have facts without thinking but we cannot have thinking without facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/we-can-have-facts-without-thinking-but-we-cannot-have-thinking/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [But progress in knowledge has made us aware of the superficiality of Plato's lumping of individuals and their original powers into a few sharply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/but-progress-in-knowledge-has-made-us-aware-of-the-superficiality-of/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Even the alleged benefits of war, so far as more than alleged, spring from the fact that conflict of peoples at least enforces intercourse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/even-the-alleged-benefits-of-war-so-far-as-more-than-alleged-spring/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“When the organization called soul is free, moving and operative, initial as well as terminal, it is spirit. 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