Teachers
Wed., January 29, 06:31 PM
Well, I wasn’t planning on this subject, but reading comments from teachers and parents brought it to the surface. I always had great respect for teachers, because they can do what I cannot. In addition, I grew up in the generation where the parents’ always thought the teacher was right. (It was obvious, wasn’t it? They were teachers.) However, my college experiences changed my viewpoint.
Many of my friends, people who were really good in math and science, entered college with the intent of becoming teachers. They were really bright, the kind of people you’d want to teach your kids. Yet at graduation they chose to enter business or industry rather than the education system. Would you like to know why?
The obvious reason was that they would earn a lot more money in the business world. Certainly that was an important factor, particularly for those who had families to consider. I’m sure you’re aware, as they were, that they’d also earn more respect as researchers than teachers.
The other reason for their change in path was the education system itself. Teachers, particularly at the secondary level, are expected to continue their education, eventually earning master’s degrees and sixth year certificates. However, they are required to take courses, not in their major field, but in education. In other words, when they had to squeeze classes into their summers (their “vacations,” y’know), it was not to learn the latest in their own subject but to learn more about how to teach it. Is it any wonder that these bright people chose not to teach?
There was another kind of teacher, the ones who thought they would major in math or science but found they couldn’t hack it. So they switched to something like “major in English, minor in child development.” Or the ones who majored in child development and minored (that’s about nine hours) in psychology. Some of the stupidest people I knew earned teaching credentials this way.
Another aspect of teaching teachers disturbed me then and it still does. A student needed better than a “C” average to enter the School of Education. (They have standards, y’know.) However, a student from one of the other schools or colleges could enroll in education courses, which were easy enough that one could earn an A or B and raise one’s average. (We used to call those regurgitation courses.)
By that time I realized that, if I were going to uphold my own standards, I’d better be prepared to teach my own kids. No, I wasn’t going to attempt home schooling. Not only would professional teachers be able to instruct in things I didn’t know, I always felt it was important for kids to learn about the diversity of the world early. (I imagine it would be very hard to accept someone different if you had spent the first eighteen years of your life with people just like you.)
So I taught my kids at home, and I monitored what they learned at school. If there was an error, I would say so. (So much for my parents’ “the teacher is always right.”) Most of their teachers were not only good instructors but gracious about listening to me. On the other hand, one of the worst told my son, “I don’t care what your mother says.” I had to re-teach what that one taught. Another teacher never gave extra homework when U.D. didn’t work up to par; of course, if he assigned an extra book report, he would have to take the time to read it.
So I’m just about where I was before. Lots of respect for good teachers, especially those who choose to continue when they could be working elsewhere. And huge disdain for the ones who cannot teach but are protected by the system that helped them get in. The philosophy seems to be, “there aren’t enough teachers smart enough to pass our tests, so let’s lower the standards. The kids won’t know the difference.” It’s sad, isn’t it?
