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I rarely blog about teaching, which is funny given that that’s my life. Today, in a session regarding educational research and the best direction for the future, the conversation boiled down to, in my mind, whether teaching is a complex craft or a job. The answer to this question is the same regarding whether education research should focus on finding ‘cure-alls’ and quick fixes or trying to understanding how people learn certain things, in certain places, at certain times, with certain people.
I had a conversation with a lawyer who had a teaching certification and taught high school for one year…and then ran away screaming. I asked him about his certification program (as a person who works to certify teachers) to get ideas as I try to improve our current process. He let out this long sigh, and proceeded to tell me (as if I had no idea) just how demanding and difficult teaching was and how much of his time outside of the classroom it took him to prepare lessons. Hence, he left teaching after that one year and went into law, which he said was not nearly as difficult and demanding a career. His concerns were regarding the fact that he only received one year of training to be certified as a teacher. The fact that he only got one hour of prep during the day and spent six to seven with students. And that there was little if any professional development or mentoring that met his needs as a beginning teacher.
These are all things that teacher educators would like to change, and have offered remedies for. Some have been instituted in progressive education programs and schools. However, until we all consider teaching a complex and demanding craft, the amount of time to be certified won’t increase but will continue to decrease with alternative certification programs, such as Teach For America, which allow people to teach with even less training. These are programs government-supported, even lauded and applauded. Also, teachers will continue to be paid incommensurate with the amount of work it requires to do their jobs well. (Yes, I hear you saying that there are those who don’t put in the requisite effort and don’t do the job well…My response: perhaps they needed more than one year of training, better mentoring and professional development, more support from administration, and parents. And if that doesn’t rebuff your arguments…there are also poor professors, horrible doctors, shady financial advisors…what shall we do about them?? This is not to say that we shouldn’t do a better job of training, retraining and vetting teacher candidates.)
If only the majority of the US population understood the complexities and demands of teaching. Not only understood but appreciated them and responded by fully funding education, education research, and education training…and fully supporting public school teachers.
As a new school year begins, thank a teacher. Support teachers.
