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Location: Fort Bend County, TX/USA/Mississauga, ON/Canada
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and why? I'm trying to pick your brains here...:P
Why is teaching always listed under professions like: doctors, police officers, firefighters...I realize those are people who help...so why is teaching considered "noble"? What is so "noble" about it?
Location: Fort Bend County, TX/USA/Mississauga, ON/Canada
2,702 posts, read 6,031,091 times
Reputation: 2304
I am a volunteer at an abuse shelter here in my town & I really like to help the kids enjoy their childhood. Childhood for me was a very special time & I think every child deserves to have a happy one, it's not their fault that they are in the situation they are in. By teaching them the value of life & learning, they can truly see their futures revealed.
Sorry, I know that sounds like a pageant answer but it's how I truly feel.
Well, let's see . . . work long hours, bring home work a lot, spend your own money on projects, you never truly stop being a teacher (even when not in school), pay that is not commensurate to your value to society, being pulled in all sorts of directions by standards, external forces, administrations, parents and students, under-appreciated (until the kids grow up and realize what you've done for them) . . . and you still want to do the job because it enriches you and you feel you are making a difference.
Yes, I would say it is a noble profession. In fact, I would not rank it along with doctors, I would rank it along with priests.
Well, let's see . . . work long hours, bring home work a lot, spend your own money on projects, you never truly stop being a teacher (even when not in school), pay that is not commensurate to your value to society, being pulled in all sorts of directions by standards, external forces, administrations, parents and students, under-appreciated (until the kids grow up and realize what you've done for them) . . . and you still want to do the job because it enriches you and you feel you are making a difference.
Yes, I would say it is a noble profession. In fact, I would not rank it along with doctors, I would rank it along with priests.
Exactly. Like being a doctor or police officer, teaching is much more than a job. It is a way of life. This is part of the reason many new teachers fail today. Think about it, in the "olden days" teachers were usually unmarried. There was a reason for this. A teacher lives and breathes the job, no matter the time of day or day of the week, or where you are. To be truly successful, most teachers have to give 110%. It can be a grueling job. Teachers, unlike many others, rarely are able to see their "product" or the end results of their efforts, say ten years later. Sometimes teachers have little idea of the good they are doing. But there are many rewards along the way--parents NOT moving away just so the next child can have you as a teacher; a child calling you their hero; making your classroom a safe place where kids WANT to come and learn. I always thought that teaching might be a little like being a jet plane pilot....
I have a close relative who is a 2nd-grade teacher. She graduated from a respected university, yet I am stunned at how uneducated she is. I don't know what they teach people who get Bacherlor's degrees in "Elementary Education", but this woman seems to have no real knowledge above Winnie-the Pooh and Harry Potter books.
Also, she is home from work every afternoon by 3:30, has a lot of time off throughout the year with all the holidays, winter and spring breaks and summer. And what does she do? She complains that her students are all "brats" and whines about how exhausting her job is. She has only 20 students in her class, which doesn't seem that overwhelming to me, especially since she is a youthful 27 years old and has no children of her own to take care of.
I have a close relative who is a 2nd-grade teacher. She graduated from a respected university, yet I am stunned at how uneducated she is. I don't know what they teach people who get Bacherlor's degrees in "Elementary Education", but this woman seems to have no real knowledge above Winnie-the Pooh and Harry Potter books.
Also, she is home from work every afternoon by 3:30, has a lot of time off throughout the year with all the holidays, winter and spring breaks and summer. And what does she do? She complains that her students are all "brats" and whines about how exhausting her job is. She has only 20 students in her class, which doesn't seem that overwhelming to me, especially since she is a youthful 27 years old and has no children of her own to take care of.
This type of teacher makes me cringe but unfortunately, it is becoming the norm. I see many teachers like this everyday. Lots of people get into teaching who shouldn't. And believe it or not, many of these people advance upwards and end up as principals or administrators! This is part of what has caused the "dumbing down" of our society and it is why many kids are not getting much of an education in the public schools.
I share your concerns about the elementary education degrees. Although I am sure there are many fine programs out there, some of the programs are thin in the general knowledge area. In this day and age, the elementary education degree should really be a master's program, above and beyond the bachelor's. But this would probably not work in the US because there is such a shortage of teachers anyway.
You make an interesting point. My undergrad degree is in Education (Secondary Ed Biology/General Science). Now most of my courses where in biology, chemistry, physics, and other sciences. I would sometimes be amazed when other students who were in elementary ed had to take two science classes because they were non-science majors, and end up getting a B or C, and end up crying! I'm not picking on women, but most of the elementary ed majors at my school were women. Most of them had 4.0GPA's because, well, let's face it, they didn't have to take labs with their classes and there's not one course that could've compared to taking biochemistry. I would sometimes ask these girls, "what's going to happen if you end up teaching and you have to teach science to these kids?" Most answered by saying, "oh, I'll just read the book and the science at the elementary level or middle school level can't be all that hard to understand." WHAT? Excuse me? Tell I just hear you say that science can't be all that hard at the elementary or middle school level? You know I'm a nice guy to a certain point but that one threw me over the edge. Most people at my school use to call the elementary ed majors "cut-and-paste" majors. Oh, let's make a nice bulletin board today, c'mon, get a grip will ya. I'm not downing elementary ed teachers, don't get me wrong, but in my opinion you need to flood them with lots of science, history, english courses to prepare them better. Don't worry about taking the principles of learning and teaching courses, yea they may help, but trust me if you don't know the content material those education courses won't even come close to helping out.
You make an interesting point. My undergrad degree is in Education (Secondary Ed Biology/General Science). Now most of my courses where in biology, chemistry, physics, and other sciences. I would sometimes be amazed when other students who were in elementary ed had to take two science classes because they were non-science majors, and end up getting a B or C, and end up crying! I'm not picking on women, but most of the elementary ed majors at my school were women. Most of them had 4.0GPA's because, well, let's face it, they didn't have to take labs with their classes and there's not one course that could've compared to taking biochemistry. I would sometimes ask these girls, "what's going to happen if you end up teaching and you have to teach science to these kids?" Most answered by saying, "oh, I'll just read the book and the science at the elementary level or middle school level can't be all that hard to understand." WHAT? Excuse me? Tell I just hear you say that science can't be all that hard at the elementary or middle school level? You know I'm a nice guy to a certain point but that one threw me over the edge. Most people at my school use to call the elementary ed majors "cut-and-paste" majors. Oh, let's make a nice bulletin board today, c'mon, get a grip will ya. I'm not downing elementary ed teachers, don't get me wrong, but in my opinion you need to flood them with lots of science, history, english courses to prepare them better. Don't worry about taking the principles of learning and teaching courses, yea they may help, but trust me if you don't know the content material those education courses won't even come close to helping out.
Yes, you are.
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