The Value of Teachers

Nearly all of us have had an experience of an education system.

For most, compulsory education starts at age 4, and ends at age 18.

However, in most countries, teachers seem to be given slack for no reason.

For example, the saying "if you can, do. If you can't, teach". Surely this demeans the very people who create the foundations of society?

Without teachers, we would not have the very people who feel that they are 'qualified' enough to make such remarks.

I think that teachers do incredibly hard work for very little pay.

The chief executive of Ofsted (the agency that deals with Education in England and Wales) said that 'teachers must work harder to get pay rises' and that they 'shouldn't leave at 3 pm'.

Now, I am not of the impression that teaching is a job you do for money, but for educating future people.

But comments like that are unfounded, IMO.

So, why does society seem to blame teachers for anything? Why are teachers not valued by people, or even considered on the same level as other public workers?

Public workers get disparaged over on the other side of the pond.

Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter

Public workers are valued? I mean, I know the guys who risk their lives are, but the majority of public workers outside of that group don't seem to get much respect. I might be using a different definition, but unless we're talking about people who aren't paid by the state to do something, I think respect is the exception rather than the rule.

Fight smart, not fair.

Yes, I would say teachers get more respect than say, people who work for the DMV or Congress.

which isnt saying much.

That is very true.

You start school at 4?

We don't seem to have a problem with lack of respect for teachers. Here they also generally need to be qualified, it's not something you go into because no one else will hire you. It's a self feeding cycle with respect for the profession, more capable people choosing it as a career, high level education required for the job and good results all feeding eachother.

Laws are made to be broken. You're next, thermodynamics.

Yup... Britain is a bit weird, mate. <shrugs> 6 or 7 makes more sense to me, too. With, maybe, Kindergarten before, perhaps.

But, you try selling that to anybody over here... <shrugs> They really won't buy it.

edited 23rd Sep '12 1:07:43 PM by Euodiachloris

I think a lot of the times it is not so much "if you cannot do, teach," rather than what a lot of people perceive is people going into "useless" majors and then going into teaching to make more "useless" people.

But that is just on the upper parts of education. I think at the lower parts it's more that people are very protective of their children and therefore instinctively don't like teachers.

edited 23rd Sep '12 1:14:48 PM by ohsointocats

Unless the kid is an utter cunt, most parents seem to side with them over anyone else. Then again, I'm curious what would happen to most kids that were taught, in no uncertain terms, that no one trusts them to tell the truth and will ignore their version at the word of anyone else.

Fight smart, not fair.

Teaching is the single most under appreciated job possible. It's hugely important, takes loads of work and requires having a good education yourself. If these people applied their talents and energy differently, they'd be your boss!

Instead they are stuck in one of the lower circles of middle class, both in terms of income and respect. This, I find unjustifiable. Society should understand that teacher are the shapers of the future, and it's their work that ensures the whole world doesn't go to shit the second a generation dies off.

Teachers need to have their image rebuild somehow.

My dad is a retired gym teacher so I know the shit teachers go through.

The only people who become teachers are those who are REALLY passionate about teaching.

Being a teacher in America this day and age SUCKS.

It's pretty much the same here. These people got freaking Master Degrees and need to get a teacher's license on top of that, and still they get crap from students, parents and society as a whole.

It pisses me off, you know. I wanted to go into teaching, but my omega personality just wouldn't be able to deal with that.

At least job security is pretty good.

edited 23rd Sep '12 3:14:49 PM by Kayeka

They're not required to get Masters degrees here. Just a bachelors. And then a teaching certificate on top of that.

I'm not sure I buy that. I've met more than a few teachers who really didn't seem to want anything to do with teaching and were just there so they didn't starve. Teachers are human beings, so trying to make broad sweeping statements about them that don't apply to human beings in general is likely to be pointless.

Fight smart, not fair.

My guess is those teachers have been teaching for a while.

My dad loved teaching but at the end of his career I can tell he was just coasting at that point.

Its draining as hell. Especially all the bullshit they go through.

I think that any job that involves dealing with people on a daily basis loses its shine after a while that causes a loss of exuberant enthusiasm. Particularly if you're working in an area where kids are likely to slash your tires. Which happened to my Mom at one point. This may factor into my sister's decision to work in elementary rather than high school.

Part of the problem here in America is that education is being used as a political tool so often by the far Right. It's all tied up in a political mess, and the value of the schools tend to be tied to local property values, which leads to a lot of places being underfunded.

American teachers just don't have enough control over the educational process, with too much control being given to people who have never taught anyone anything. I really wish we'd do it like they do in Finland, these days. Their education system and children are right at the top of the list for excellence.

There's also the prevalence of leaving stuff on the curriculum until the curriculum looks like something you'd see on one of those hoarders shows. And the "everyone should know this! Make sure there's a special section devoted to it" until there's nothing but such sections. The overall curriculum looks like a patchwork of after thought bullshit as a result.

Fight smart, not fair.

Yeah, that's a pretty big issue. Part of what Finland does is let the teachers basically plan their own lessons without this "teach to the standard test" and basing funding on how well the students do. The way we're doing it now hamstrings a lot of what teachers can do. I think Finland has to deal a lot less with that sort of inefficiency since they can participate in the decision making process so much.

I read an article on this recently, actually. Wish I'd saved the link, it was in reference to the Chicago strike. >_< Interestingly, they disliked the teacher's union/s as much as the government interference.

edited 23rd Sep '12 3:56:01 PM by AceofSpades

Disparaged means respect? Since when?

Very well,I meant the exact opposite. They are usually the ones scapegoated,they are the target of the union-haters. The poor conservatives keep talking about how gubment gives them these shocking pensions and demanding pension reform

In short they get more hate and blame than teachers usually do.

But I don't want to change the subject off teachers because it is a very important point.

edited 23rd Sep '12 5:41:22 PM by terlwyth

Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter

I did have a few teachers that were teaching because that's all they could do with their degree. For example, I had an English teacher who was actually a Film Studies major/English minor who was trying to make it big as a producer. She outright told us that she was only teaching so she could have a stable guaranteed income for her kid.

I will say that I don't know if America should do exactly what Finland does, I mean Finland has way less people, and let's be honest, Finland is a lot more homogenous than America. I looked up the demographics and it's basically 99% white, and most of those white people are natives.

The size of the population and the demographics of the nation has absolutely jack fucking shit about how much input the teachers should have in what they should teach their children. Finland is up on top of the list of excellence because of their methods, not because of how many people they have or their ethnicity.

well, look at that. Cracked got something kinda-sotra relevant.

Quite apart from the racist implications of the above statement...don't you think the size and diversity of the U.S. makes it more likely that our students would benefit if teachers could devise their own curricula and lesson plans rather than being obligated to teach to a federal test?

As to the OP, I think one big reason teachers are often disparaged is that they work with kids. American culture is pretty openly contemptuous of children and teenagers and it tends to rub off on adults who associate with them.

Stuff what I do.

I'm not saying that any race is inferior or that that makes Americans stupid or anything that could be interpreted as racist, I'm just saying that we can't compare ourselves completely to Finland. That's all. I agree that we shouuld have teachers devise their own curriculums (curricula?) . We're not on opposite sides here.

Teaching, what with the importance it holds, should be held in greater prestige. The blame is because the education system does botch teaching a clear majority of the time. Partly it's bad teachers, but I think a greater share of the blame goes to the dogmatic groupthink of administrators and consultants that holds teachers to low and fluff-infested standards. But those who haven't read up much on education feel that teachers are running the show, so.

Hail Martin Septim!