Teacher Hating: What's the Deal?

a rant...

Published on October 12, 2005 By alison watkins In Misc

Once again, greetings JU. Sorry I've been so sparce. The reason being is so I can prepare myself for my daily lessons for guess what.....SCHOOL. Yes, that's right. I am a (whispers) teacher.

Ahh! I said it...the dreaded T word. I give 110% day in and day out just in hopes that 1 child out of 340 understands one concept. Believe it or not, having just one understand something they didn't know before hand is quite a feat. I have put in my time and then some this week alone being the best teacher and musician that I can be so I can better my students in my so called field of expertise.

Some of you may think, "So what, anyone can be a teacher. Look at the moron that's teaching my kid!"

Not everyone can be a teacher and I do question some of them in the profession. Some may think that being a teacher is just about babbling in front of a classroom and getting a paycheck when it's all said in done. This is completely false. Teaching is about researching your topics and your students. It's being able to know how all of your children learn. It's about knowing all of your children's interests. It's about being resourceful. It's about taking a lesson and catoring it to your children to make the lesson fun and educational for all involved. It's about similarities and differences. It's about the thirst for knowledge and the hunger to do better.

Another thing parents forget are that teachers are human. We are not some fountain of knowledge or giant brain. In my opinion the best teachers are humble. I have learned that we all make mistakes.

I am in no way saying that I know my students better than their parents. Heck with my army of children, I'm lucky if I remember everyone's name every day. Some parents need to realize that we are all in this for the same reason: To educate your child in order for them to be the best Sally or John they can be. Teachers are on your side, I promise!

Comments (Page 2)

latour999

on Oct 13, 2005

Interesting sidenote, the teachers are on strike over in BC for better teaching conditions and a pay increase (the government wants to do nothing and hand down a pay freeze), despite legislation by the government to bust up the strike (they can now hold them in contempt of court and jail union leaders). Now, the education minister is telling them to scab on the strike (what was that Jack London quote again? "The scab is a traitor to his God, his mother, and his class").

So, we have a government that refuses to do anything about the decline of the education system, then tries to punish the union for doing what it was meant to.

I'm sure glad the Manitoba government isn't this screwed up (yet).

Gideon MacLeish

on Oct 13, 2005

alison,

In your writing you show yourself to be a consumate professional as a teacher. I have no problem with your abilities from the way you present yourself on line, at least.

The issue isn't about hating teachers, per se, but rather, contempt for the arrogance displayed by certain member of the profession. Sadly, it IS possible to become a teacher without specifically being trained as such; all you need to do is start out in a district that has no certification requirements for teachers...and there are many rural districts that still possess no certification requirements.

When a teacher completely dismisses the parent's point of view, however, they are completely unprofessional and out of line. The percentage of time a teacher spends with a student is FAR less than the time a loving parent spends with their child in most cases, and while a parent may be less than objective in some situations, that cannot and should not be assumed.

Look at the context of the statements made and realize it's not TEACHERS as a profession that are coming under fire, but a specific TYPE of teacher; one that assumes that their degree is a stepping stone towards utter omniscience.

alison watkins

on Oct 13, 2005

latour:
Wow, that sounds like a special situation. It would be a shame if education continued on the downward spiral in BC. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Manitoba! hehe

Gid:
When I wrote the article, I admit my thoughts were a little scattered because there were so many points I wanted to discuss. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's that certain type of teacher that should have no business being in the classroom.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!