In “In Honor of Teachers” (New York Times, September 2, 2011), New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow asserts that the profession of being a teacher isn’t getting the recognition that it deserves. To develop his argument, Blow references one of his one past teachers, Mrs. Thomas, a teacher who helped shape and mold his young adolescent mind and “lit a fire in [him]”. The author’s purpose for writing such a piece was to inform his readers of the lack of acknowledgment given to the “often maligned” career in order to possibly stop society from “tearing the profession down.” Not only does Blow address the New York Times' readers but he also addresses other well-educated denizens of society in order to further shed light on the matter in hope of changing society's perspective on teachers.
I agree with the authors assertion that teachers are not given the credit that they deserve. First off, teaching in the United States is not a very lucrative profession. Yet, I know that many of my teachers could have used their degrees to earn probably double of what they earn now. Why aren't they doing this? I believe that it is because of their high devotion to helping students learn and grow as individuals. Because of this passion, the teachers are essentially giving up money to do what they love.
ReplyDeleteAnd what do they get for their love and devotion to teaching? They get smacked in the face by accusations that they are the reason for our country's failing education system. Everyone is so quick to point fingers at the group of people who is trying the hardest to resurrect the dying system. The country needs to realize that teachers are fighting the hardest in the battle for better education.
I would also have to agree with the authors statement made in the article. I feel as if it takes a special type of person to become a teacher; it takes lots of patience and willingness. Also, the job takes not only a knowledge of the subject matter, but also a skill in the ability to teach it and provoke the interest of the young. Teachers have been under recognized for years as they promote the future by teaching the youth. If the teachers were of poor quality, the future would be of poor quality. No other profession has such an influence on the future and how society works. How anyone can blame teachers for the failure in our system is beyond me. It is clearly the system and curriculum, not the teachers, that have failed the youth.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with the author's statement as well. America's "failing" education system is probably due more in part to society than the teachers. Like Tyler said, teachers are the people that influence the youth of America. They mold them and shape them and help develop the future country in this way. However, society does not give teachers the respect they duly deserve. Teachers are paid little and like Dave said, they could be earning much money in some other career. However, they choose to deal with the insane children of America. In Finland, teachers are revered much more highly. They are paid very well and the top 5% of graduates from colleges across Finland are recruited to become teachers. The difference? The difference is that Finland has one of the best education systems in the world, much more highly ranked than America.
ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting because the teaching profession, in my opinion, is indeed quite undervalued. As a student it is quite easy to say how "lousy" this teacher is, or to form a biased opinion on a teacher based on the homework level given to me. However, I think that in retrospect, every single one of my teachers should be commended. Teaching is not an easy profession. As the article states, teachers work approximately 50 hours per week (which, in some cases, may be an understatement). Their reward is often a low wage and an over-involved parent complaining about how their daughter did poorly on the last midterm. Our teachers today do not just pass on the wisdom from textbooks to students; they include their own opinions, insights, and hints. Not one student should have to say that a teacher never changed them for the better. It is sad to say, but teachers are the "unsung heroes" of the education department. Their prize? Criticism.
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