Taking a Break

from Gg reporting to talk about teaching.

I listened to the recent interview on Fresh Air with Dana Goldstein who has written a book about the history and current state of teachers.

  A Lesson in How Teachers Became Resented and Idealized is fascinating.

Goldstein has discovered so many issues remaining problematic in education today. I loved listening to her historical research on how we got here. What struck me most was that even in the 1800s teachers were supposed to be the end all. Teachers were supposed to solve the cultural issues of the day and remove children from poverty.

That pressure still exists today. How many times do we hear a journalist, senator, mayor, council member, president, parent say  "This should be taught at school." The list is endless.

Schools need to teach good nutrition. Great, so what happens when the child who has been taught to each fruits and vegetables goes home to junk food? Is that the school's fault?

Schools need to teach about bullying. Great, so the child is monitored at school, but what about the walk home? The neighborhood?

Schools need to teach social skills. Great, but isn't that really parenting?

She addresses tenure, standardized testing, low pay, the 'flatness' of teaching where there is no room for movement you are either a teacher or administrator, the segregation, charter schools, etc.

Just listening to the interview gives great insight into the controversy of teaching. I loved being a teacher, but my last few years, as I watched the newbies join the ranks, it was hard to tell them that teaching was fun. We were having triple the meetings, quadruple the paperwork, and  a very strict curriculum. We couldn't explore a class interest because there was no time to cover what was required. I always felt I was testing and Goldstein indicates students are tested 25 - 30 days a school year. That's 1/6th of their year. No wonder kids dislike school or tests or learning.

It's an insightful interview. I'm sure it's a great read. I just don't know if I want my blood pressure to rise when reading about the plight of where we've been and how can we ever get out of the mire?