IN PRAISE OF THE UNHERALDED
Too much of what goes on around the teaching profession these days seems designed to undermine the confidence and effectiveness of teachers. I know, it’s not meant that way, not really. But low pay, false narratives about “failing” schools, imposed methodologies and mythical “outcomes,” the quantification of assessment, and the fallacious idea that “anyone can do it” (backed by training programs claiming a few weeks preparation is enough before entering the classroom) tell us otherwise.
Teaching is hard enough without this nonsense. It requires work and sacrificing one’s ego for the benefit of a room full of students, most of whom would rather be anyplace else. The teacher may seem to be the center of the classroom, but the teacher fails when that becomes the truth–and stopping that is exhausting. Teaching requires constant attention to two things (more, actually, but these are critical), the goals of the lesson and the paths of individual learners, two things that diverge as each class session evolves. Teaching requires adapting syllabi and lesson plans constantly as the reality of student progress unfolds.
No one cares about any of this, or so it seems when we look at discussions of teaching and teachers in the public sphere. Instead of recognizing the difficulties all teachers work to overcome (and do, much of the time), people keep telling me and others about brilliant “master teachers” who shine in the classroom. I’m supposed to be impressed when they mention the performances of colleagues who win teaching awards or have consistently high Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) scores. And I’m expected to applaud when I hear others brag about how tough they are in their grading or how far their star students have gone. I guess I’m supposed to be abashed or moved to shut up, sit at their feet and learn; after all, I concentrate only on CONTINUE READING: In Praise of the Unheralded | One Flew East