standing up for teachers
By karoleigh
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I live and work in North Carolina. We had one of those "wise" politicians running for governor who wanted "more teacher accountability"--teacher tests, and all of that. Of course, with that sort of "teacher bashing" it was no surprise that he wasn't voted into office. I purposely voted against him like so many others. My vote wasn't FOR the other candidate as much as against the candidate who preached that it's the teachers that don't teach well enough, so we have to test them. Nonsense. Why did we go through teacher training then sit through all of those national teacher tests? Didn't we prove our competence then? We have in-services and take courses. Why do we need to prove ourselves over and over again? Do our lawyers have to do that? Our doctors and pharmacists and nurses? Do you ever hear politicians make it their platform to prove the competence of other professional groups? I agree that teachers don't get the respect they deserve. It will take much more than powerful unions to convince politicans and the public at large of that. Respect for teachers (and education, too!) should be taught to children from the time they start learning at home--in their formative years.
The value of education should also be stressed. My students basically think that education is a joke. We have read stories in our classes which have emphasized how education used to be a privilege; not everybody had the time or the money to attend. Free public education is an honor! However, like so many other things that are handed to society, education is unappreciated.
Of course we would have better students if we had better parents!!!!!
