This chapter on teaching and teacher preparation made me think of some of the comments that I have heard other people make about teaching. When I tell people that I want to be a teacher, I get a wide range of responses from "Wonderful, that is such a worthwhile to profession" to "Why do you want to do that? You could do so many other things. Your starting salary as a _________ instead would be so much higher." There seems to be this negative perception of teaching in certain places, and a view that teachers' jobs are easy. The common phrase "if you can't do, teach," makes it seem like teaching is a person's last resort as a profession. But, look at our classroom filled with aspiring teachers and the other education students at Trinity who want to be teachers before all of the other professions that other people might tell us are "better."
How might this idea of teaching as a last resort effect the many aspects of teacher preparation that are described in this chapter?
How can future teachers be supported in the United States? Do you think the view of the teaching profession is different in the other countries that are mentioned in this chapter?
I do think the teaching profession is viewed differently in other countries than it is here. I don’t know why that is but I suspect it is because we in this country tend to regard professions that are highly lucrative more than those which are less lucrative, and unfortunately teaching is seen as one of those professions (which is not as true as you would think – teachers in SA make a very decent salary). Other countries seem to have a “longer” view of the impact of teaching. They tie an educated citizenry to their future success as a nation – and they are all in it together. They understand the importance of teachers in leading that initiative. So teachers are held in high regard not so much because the work they do is lucrative, but because it is important, critical, in fact. If people in the US saw teaching as critical to our success and really understood that our students are in crisis in many parts of the country, we would change how we think about teachers and the work they do. I wonder if our “rugged individualist” roots have something to do with this? We still believe that we succeed based on our own initiative without the help of individuals along the way. In that world, teachers do not have much of a role to play because in the end the individual is responsible for his/her own success. What do you all think?
ReplyDeleteI think Ms. Liberatore is on to something here. I also wonder if some of this is rooted in a history of a female-dominated profession and thinking of teaching in terms of childcare v. intellectual work. Or preparing citizens for civic participation, the workforce, and being a part of a society? Classical, economic, or cultural aims v. "keep those kids off the streets" mentality?
ReplyDeleteI think that's a definite factor--the fact that the profession is dominated by women. But what does it say that in the later grades, i.e. high school, there is an increased percentage of men? These are when students "are really learning content" as opposed to the building blocks they learn as younger children (I don't mean literally, but that's a pretty great pun). Really, why is this? Is it because men are just not as interested in teaching less mature thinkers? Almost all of my elementary and middle school teachers were women, but in high school, I had mostly male teachers. When school becomes, as Dr. B phrased it, intellectual work more than childcare, men are much more present. I wonder why this really is? I wish I had any valid ideas.
DeleteBy the way, someone should look up the starting salary of a teacher in North East ISD (on the Human Resources page) and the starting salary of a CPA and the starting salary of other some other professions...just so you also have some facts for when you talk to people about your career choice... you might be surprised.... at least for entry. We do have to talk about lifespan/careerspan...
ReplyDelete
DeleteNorth East ISD Starting Teacher salary:
Minimum $47,284 (no experience)
Midpoint $52,674
Maximum $58,974
The starting CPA Salary according to the 2012 National Association of Colleges and Employers survey is $50,500. Those who go on to earn their CPA license can expect a median salary of $73,800.
Also interesting to note, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the overall average starting salary for Class of 2013 is $45,327.
And in Northeast ISD, there is an $1800 yearly stipend for teachers with a master's degree, like a Master of Arts in Teaching, for example.
DeleteWhen I looked at that on the NEISD website I was shocked! Thank you for bringing the salary point up, I really hadn't even thought to look at it. I did a bit of research in other states, for Montana (which had the lowest starting average salary) $26,734. For Texas, $34,234. Those numbers are a lot closer to what expected.
DeleteHere is something I just read regarding TFA and some of the conversation we've been having - professionalization connections, etc.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2013/10/teach_for_america_recommendations_i_stopped_writing_them_and_my_colleague.html