There is certainly a disconnect between the idealized version of a teacher and what a student usually ends up with in the public school system. I remember high school being filled with mediocre to lousy teachers who very obviously couldn’t wait for the dismissal bell. I’ve always wondered why that was; why would a teacher, who’s supposed to be caring and helpful, seem so fed up? Well, for all of the reasons mentioned in the article. I used to be a prison guard and I feel like some of the same things were happening to me. You get hired and they tell you how you’re going to be helping people and doing great things, but when you get there you find that you don’t have the support or resources to make a difference. The support I got were from senior officers, who’d been there so long they couldn’t get fired and therefore didn’t offer much in the way of help. I’m not surprised new teachers get the same result.
Taking a few credentialing programs doesn’t make you a teacher. A freelance personal tutor doesn’t have to take classes in ‘diversity’ and whatnot, but they provide some of the best opportunities for learning. Often times they’re enthusiastic kids right out of college.
And I’ve always thought the constant complaint over pay was phony, thanks for the heads up on that!
