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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy Do Americans Love to Blame Teachers?
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/09/the-war-on-teachers/379403/?nba88a
America hates teachers.
That's not exactly the thesis of Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, but her account of 200 years of education policy provides plenty of evidence for it. "The history of education reform," she notes, "shows recurring attacks on veteran educators." In the early 1800s, reformer Caroline Beecher argued that young women with a missionary calling should replace male teachers who were "intemperate coarse, hard, unfeeling men, too lazy or stupid" to teach; she suggested those men should be sent into the mills instead. Two centuries later, Goldstein notes, programs like Teach for America are promoted as a kind of missionary calling, in which young fresh-faced college graduates replace lazy, stubborn, unionized teachers.
In between those two endpoints, Goldstein recounts the United States' dishonorable McCarthy-era assault on left-wing teachersand its even more dishonorable record following Brown v. Board of Education, in which black teachers were systematically fired or pushed out of their jobs in order to prevent them from teaching white students. As Goldstein shows, the main result of Brown was not to integrate schoolswhich desegregated only haltingly before resegregating more recentlybut to force out black educators. Education reform, as so often before, seemed to be less about aiding students than about targeting teachers.
Goldstein argues that discussions of education in the U.S. have repeatedly been framed in terms of moral panics. A moral panic, she says, occurs when "policymakers and the media focus on a single class of people as emblems of a large, complex social problem." That single class of people is then systematically demonized, as politicians and pundits present "worst of the worst" cases as emblematic of the whole.
ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)1) many parents have abdicated their role AS parent and when their kid isn't perfect it can't be THEIR fault
2) they have no understanding of the crap teachers have to put up with and don't realize how nearly impossible it is to do that job... hell, it must be EASY to babysit a buncha kids...right?!?
sP
Heidi
(58,237 posts)after 35 years. Somewhere along the way, parents began treating teachers like babysitters instead of professional educators. Mom always loved her students, but parents (and administrators) made it a rough row to hoe at times.
ETA: I agree with your assessment.
ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)and they feel like they retired 'just in time'... i tried to teach for a while and i didn't abandon it because of the kids; i ran because of the parents and the bureaucracy...
sP
Heidi
(58,237 posts)My dad started his career as an educator (junior high math) and he got out of it just in time, too. Moreover, I have an aunt and an uncle who were teachers; my grandfather began as a teacher and retired as an elementary school principle; and my grandmother was a school librarian. I had more than enough inside information by the time I was 18 to steer clear of a career in education.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)I don't think we need to turn it in to a war on parents. Remember, parents are often both working full time jobs out of necessity these days and can't be at the school to watch their child.
ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)MANY hours a day... (they were both teachers and my dad also coached high school sports). they were still active in my life and made sure that i was a good kid, respectful of my teachers, did all my work and made good grades. when i faltered in any of those items they became even more involved to make sure i got back on track.
there is no reason why today's parents cannot do that... none. you don't want to make it a war on parents? fine. but it needs to be. parents need to put down the remote, stop watching porn online, stop shopping for ever damned whim they have and pay attention to their kids.
now, by no means is this every parent... but having taught school myself, i can safely say that every parent with whom i had a negative experience was, for the most part, ignoring their child.
sP
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)of all of those that you are judging so harshly.
ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)why is not my concern but given the thrust of society i would say i am pretty close to being spot on more often than not. you want them to be anything other than trouble, you actually have to spend time rearing them.
sP
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)take care of elderly parents in addition to working or single parents, etc., when are they supposed to find the time for their kids?
Yet, even when these situations occur, I bet you can't really tell the difference.
Some kids that have full parental attention act up and some that have very little don't. In fact, even among kids raised in the same family some get in trouble and some never do.
ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)and so do others... working your 2,3 or 4 jobs with long hours. the failure of a student is much more likely to be due to parents than teachers. but you don't have to believe it. a lot of parents don't and it shows.
sP
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)I think you are negating environmental roles (possibly including teachers) and inherent dispositions in the factors here.
canoeist52
(2,282 posts)Gets them off the hook for the stress and time constraints of poverty that they cause by under paying workers. Point the finger where it belongs.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)I'm a single parent of 4, and I'm not even going to get into how stressful it is to be gone from the house for 11 hours a day working a crappy job, and be the only person to take care of everything for 4 kids.
bigdarryl
(13,190 posts)Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)whathehell
(29,096 posts)and learn how to spell!.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)pampango
(24,692 posts)has experience with teachers during their youth in schools.
We only have generalized criticism of lawyers, mechanics, engineers, coaches, etc. because most of us have never done those jobs or been in close contact with people who have. We all have had close, lasting contact with teachers, however. We tend to think that gives us an "informed" opinion.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)But, most of have had what we considered really good teachers and some that we felt weren't very good. Not sure where that enters the equation, but I do know that the teachers we students felt were good weren't always looked upon so favorably by the administrators.
I certainly think teaching is a profound, difficult and underpaid occupation.
quaker bill
(8,225 posts)and could fix all our social problems, if only the unions would let them (sarcasm).
bklyncowgirl
(7,960 posts)As with everything, the good gets outweighed in people's minds with the bad rather in the way that you are far more likely to talk with your friends about a bad experience than you are to share a good one.
Let's say your friend's kid has a teacher who, in your friend's opinion, is uncaring, dogmatic, bigoted and incompetent. Whether this is true or not, you are still going to hear the bad stuff--and by the way very little about the good teachers. You may even discount your own good experiences with the school system.
You may not know whether or not this person is a good teacher or a bad teacher. You don't need to a friend is a friend. What you do know is that teachers pretty much have a job for life. While this is not exactly true, bad teachers can be removed through due process, it is true enough that many people believe it wholeheartedly and there is plenty of antiunion propaganda for this belief to feed on--and resentment to grow.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)In my case though, I remember the good teachers with a real fondness and can barely remember the names of the bad ones.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)hughee99
(16,113 posts)you can usually just avoid them. Most people have little choice in education, and no say in the teaching assignments, which means if you happen to draw the bad teacher, you're just stuck with it.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)elias49
(4,259 posts)And I'm not joking...my wife was chairperson of the school board in our small town in New England. She herd that jealousy all the time. It's dumb, but there's part of the answer.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)Most try to work the summer but summer school is no longer funded very well so many don't get the opportunity.
But, I agree that most people don't seem to realize the difference and assume teachers are getting mega vacation time while they are getting less and less.
elias49
(4,259 posts)Most Americans seem to think that they, personally, are getting the short end of the stick. Argh!
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)work to get less for others. The ignorance is astounding and frightening.
Cosmocat
(14,575 posts)I served on our Board of Education, and when the discussion of school reform in this country came I was stunned that the simple, basic "reform" of increasing the number of school days was never noted, and when noted it fell on deaf ears.
There are studies that somehow our "hours of instruction" are basically the same as other countries, but I can't see how we managed to get done in 180 days what most countries do in 200+. And, if so, what does it hurt to have more days and increase the instruction time?
Our long summers off was based at a time when we had "small farms" that required the man power during farming season. But, today we simply have three months off during the summer for our students to vacation and relax.
I am not saying this is the fault of "teachers," they simply work the days that are required.
But, they shouldn't have the summers off like that.
However, this country being as bass ackwards as it is on so many things, a simple solution (like single payer health care) is a non starter.
tabbycat31
(6,336 posts)So I didn't need the summers off to work on a farm, but I can tell you another reason many schools have summers off. (I also had more friends from the camp I attended every summer than from school and I always looked forward to seeing my friends at camp).
No air conditioning. Most people would not go to the office in 90+ degree days without a/c but have no problems sending kids to a school without a/c. We always ended in late June so there were a few days where it was just unbearable in the classroom (especially elementary school-- the high school had some rooms with a/c and always had the finals take place in those rooms). In my elementary school (late 80s/early 90s) the only rooms with a/c were the principal's office and the nurse's office. From 3rd to 5th grade, I was in the top floor and it was an oven in there.
well, there is that.
canoeist52
(2,282 posts)estate taxes to pay for retro-fitting our schools for air-conditioning.
Kids and teachers need the summer break to spend time with family and re-charge their batteries.
Instead of complaining about teacher's long summer vacation, band together and bargain for more time off at your workplace.
meathead
(63 posts)I my sister teaches and complains often about her compensation. I was glad to hear she enjoyed her 8 weeks off over the summer spent traveling with her children. Most people work years to accumulate and use that much time off. Some work years with no paid time off at all.
KitSileya
(4,035 posts)Most, if not all teachers in the US are paid for the days they are at school. They can, however, choose to have their salary paid over 12 months instead of 10. Doesn't mean they get paid vacation, because they don't.
At most, you can envy her for not getting fired for taking her mandatory, unpaid 8 weeks off.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)CrispyQ
(36,540 posts)Adults caught in the 9-to-5 grind are envious. It's stupid, but it's true.
Smarmie Doofus
(14,498 posts)Or ..... they *say* they do, anyway.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025476335
Go figure.
eppur_se_muova
(36,305 posts)(OK, an investment movement, but still ...)
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)We see it even here at DU.
Iggo
(47,578 posts)mgardener54
(4 posts)I know the thinking is, we pay their salary and we can do what we want.
The worst are school board members that get on the board with a grudge or an attitude that they 'know better'. Usually without any educational experience or training/schooling.
I was a school nurse and had the Superintendent call me laughing one day. He just had a mother call him and wanted me fired because I had put head lice on her child. There was no way her child had head lice so therefore it was my fault. She had heard I kept the lice in the refrigerator in my office.
I kid you not.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)Botany
(70,614 posts)Last edited Wed Sep 3, 2014, 09:33 AM - Edit history (1)
Unions made the American jobs go offshore and killed off the middle class.
The poor are responsible for our debt.
ISIS is now in power because President Obama doesn't know what to do.
Environmentalists make coal workers loose their jobs.
Gays are a threat to straight persons marriages.
Having a gun in your home will keep you safe.
Ronald Reagan beat communism.
The Federal Government's gridlock is both sides fault.
The media is liberal.
The list is pretty gosh darn long, isn't it?
And, the people of this country just gobble their shit up and come back for seconds ...
Botany
(70,614 posts)Yes, we have had and still have some bad teachers* but the Koch Brothers/Right Wing
/Home Schooling Christians agenda to kill off public education is really un-American.
Saddam was linked to 9/11 and had WMDs.
Obama Care doesn't work.
W bush "kept us safe."
Global warming isn't real.
Voter ID laws stop "voter fraud."
The cop in Ferguson, MO had a fractured eye socket.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025480549 great post
Bush won Ohio in 2004 because people were worried about "gay marriage."
* and they should not be teaching
Trillo
(9,154 posts)The schools, like any institution, are basically corrupt, private schools much moreso. So, the manipulators shift discussion from institutional issues to that of disliking teachers, because the institution must be protected, the institution is more important than the teachers.
certainot
(9,090 posts)institutions and companies public ed is probably low on the list. needing reform -yes. some teachers and admins better than others - yes.
selling that notion is part of 25 years of ubiquitous republican radio used to attack public ed to privatize it and destroy more unions.
ironically, more than 170 or about 30% of limbaugh's 600 radio stations piggyback college sports for community cred and ad dollars- the colleges pee on their own mission statements to make a few bucks renting their sports logos to racist misogynist teacher bashing republican radio stations- an absurd relationship that has to end.
those 1000 radio stations and their disfunctional teaher hating flunk-out blowhards have played a big part in this. it's a shame the contemporary teacher hate that stimulated the writer probably has no idea of what the main reason for much of the current teacher hate is.
https://sites.google.com/site/universitiesforrushlimbaugh/
<a href=".html" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="universities for limbaugh 300kb photo limbaughpyramidhoax2-300kbcopy_zpsf7555ce7.png"/></a>
Trillo
(9,154 posts)in a system that does not allow one to live for free, is a corrupt system. Compulsory public education fits that bill. Work, get punished, get bullied, do not collect a paycheck, repeat.
certainot
(9,090 posts)alternatives are available. but if parents hold their kids out of public school because of insane religious or authoritarian beliefs etc......
Trillo
(9,154 posts)Princeton study: U.S. no longer an actual democracy
We've had free public education ever since I can remember, does that disprove your hypothesis?
certainot
(9,090 posts)as far as democracy goes, i agree. a big part of that is from the left's total ignorance of republican radio:
Republican radio is classic Psyops
You can buy a lot of TV ads with that Citizens United money, but to sell big lies you have to, as George Bush said, "keep repeating things over and over and over again, for the truth to sink in. You gotta catapult the propaganda."
What the US Army Psyops Manual says about radio (Psychological Operations Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures 12/2003 - available online).
The manual points out:
Repetition is necessary for oral learning; therefore, key themes, phrases, or slogans should be repeated to ensure the TA (target audience) gets the desired message.
Talk radio is much better than TV, print, and internet for doing just that.
According to the PSYOPS manual advantages of radio include:
Emotional Power: A skilled radio announcer can exert tremendous influence on the listener simply with pitch, resonance, inflection, or timing. and The emotional tone conveyed by the voice may influence the listener more than the logic of arguments.
Or, as Limbaugh would call it, "talent on loan from god".
Wide coverage: Radio programs can reach members of large and varied audiences simultaneously. and Since radio can reach mass TAs quickly, radio is useful for all types of PSYOP.
In most parts of the US there are no free alternatives for politics while driving or working. The talk radio monopoly includes more than 1000 coordinated radio stations reaching 50 million Americans every week.
Speed: Radio programs can be quickly prepared for broadcast. Speed is important when attempting to capitalize on targets of opportunity.
And for spinning and distorting breaking news.
Ease of perception: Radio requires little or no effort to visualize the radio message. Illiteracy does not prevent the listener from forming his individual image as he listens.
Availability of receivers. Where availability or ownership of receivers is common, listening to radio is a habit.
Talk radio stations are usually the loudest stations in any state and often provide local news, traffic, weather, and sports. These are the go-to stations in national emergencies.
OTHER REASONS REPUBLICAN RADIO IS SO EFFECTIVE
Its loud and its everywhere: More than 1000 radio stations, including many of the loudest stations. Thats an average of 20 per state. It reaches 50 million Americans every week. Its loyal listeners spread the disinformation to family, friends, and co-workers. There is no bigger buzz machine on the planet.
Its a monopoly: 95% of political talk radio is Republican. In most parts of the country there are no alternatives for free politics while driving or working. The monopoly actively reduces the radio stations available to liberal and moderate talk show hosts. There is no significant talk radio competition to challenge its messaging dominance.
Its practically free for the Republican Party: Advertisers pay station operating costs and donor-supported think tanks supply much of the propaganda and coordination. The Republican Party and its politicians and organizations can generally expect full support and cooperation from Republican radio talkers.
In Wisconsin, the Reindfleisch emails showed Republican Governor Scott Walker relies heavily on talk radio. Republican politicians can expect major corruption and incompetence to be ignored or excused while Democrats can expect minor mistakes to be distorted and exaggerated.
Anti-Rush Limbaugh organizations such as StopRush.net have hurt advertising revenues for many stations with their campaign to educate advertisers as to Limbaughs racism, homophobia, misogyny and bigotry. As a result, Republican-friendly organizations and think tanks have had to increase their support for Republican radio with politically related advertising and announcements.
Its invisible to Democrats and liberals because they dont listen to it: The Democratic Party as well as liberal/progressive/democratic organizations and their supporters are regularly caught by surprise because they evaluate their strategies and the failings of the representatives they support as if Republican radio doesnt exist.
Most concerned citizens and activists are unaware of how much one radio station can trash their candidates, distort their values, negate their activism, and minimize their protests.
There is no written record of Republican radio: Until now there was no way to search, read, and analyze what Republican radio pumps out (see Record and Transcribe Talk Radio). Republican politicians and candidates make regular appearances on Republican radio and can say just about anything without fear of fact-checking.
Republican talkers are always right: While liberal talkers encourage opposing viewpoints, Republican talkers seldom take callers that will contradict them. They're paired with call screeners for protection and use custom software to prioritize preferred callers, including paid callers. Since they can't be challenged in real time they're always right, and lies sell better when delivered with certitude.
Republican radio messaging is coordinated: On important issues at critical times, all 1000 plus radio stations will pump out the same talking points as instructed. National and local GOP and related think tanks supply material, topics, and guests coordinated for national and local political objectives. Paid callers are used. Republican radios more visible little brother, Fox News, also helps coordination.
Limbaugh and the national talkers set the overall tone but can also focus considerable attention to a local level when they name names and places. Especially if they repeat them a few times.
The local talkers job depends on following the party line. They and their callers reinforce previous messaging from national talkers and play a significant part in local politics. On a loud station, staff and talkers may have close connections to Republican elected officials and their aides (like WIS governor Scott Walker).
Republican radio can dominate messaging in the US: A non-Republican President only has the bully pulpit when hes on it. Republican radio provides the groundwork repetition and buzz for everything Republican. When 400 talkers reinforce each other with the same talking points and memes on more than 1000 radio stations it can drown out truth and common sense. It enables and pushes mainstream traditional media to portray the interests of 10% as mainstream. It excuses racism, misogyny, homophobia, and ignorance to make them acceptable. It enables vast amounts of denial and hypocrisy.
The success of ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) electing candidates and passing and stopping legislation on the local level directly corresponds with the rise of Republican radio.
Republican radio short circuits democracy with alternate realities: Republican think tanks monitor local and national events and sentiment and combine their radio advantage with PR campaigns to short circuit the fact-based discussions that a democracy depends on for solutions and reform. Long term unchallenged repetition on a national level has distorted US politics and makes fact-based dialogue of important issues like climate change, health care, racism, immigration, and gun control practically impossible.
Republican radio constructs made-to-order constituencies: Well-timed messaging to the base motivates public outrage and concern based on distortions and disinformation and used to enable or intimidate politicians and media. Or tar and feather a Democratic politician or pubic servant. Republican radio is the loudest political correctness cop and censor-by-threat in the US.
Republican radio beats TV, internet, and print for selling lies: Other media leave a record and have to at least pretend to present other viewpoints. And within limits you can easily turn the channel or the page to another source for politics. Traditional media are more significant for what they leave out. Still somewhat democratic, the internet is diffused and disorganized.
Republican radio myths
MYTH: Republican radios primary purpose is to sell product for advertisers.
Republican radios primary aim is to spread disinformation and outrage to convince Americans to hate other Americans and to act and vote against their own best interests. The advertising pays rent and salaries.
Republican radios true, and much more profitable purpose is to sell:
war
global warming denial
deregulation- wall street, banking, environmental, media, etc.
tax breaks for the 1%
privatization of the commons and the public sector
sycophant Republican politicians
unqualified Republican judges
lies and distortions used to swiftboat Democrats and liberals, short circuit democracy, and obstruct reforms
MYTH: Its popularity and success is market-based. Liberal radio fails because no one listens to it and it cant compete.
When Ronald Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, Republicans started buying up hundreds of radio stations and subsidizing talkers like Rush Limbaugh. The Fairness Doctrine would have prevented the levels of unchallenged lying and distortion used so successfully today to create alternative realities and made-to-order constituencies.
One of Republican radios early successes was media deregulation that allowed consolidation of Republican radio ownership to fewer companies/owners.
Liberal radio talkers have shown they can compete on an even playing field and even beat the main Republican talkers. That is why the Republican radio monopoly controls most of the loudest radio stations and works hard to limit direct competition by liberal talkers. Republican radio cant handle the truth.
The argument that 95% of the people who would listen to talk radio prefer the hate and disinformation that the Republican radio monopoly is using to destroy American democracy is an insult to Americans.
rock
(13,218 posts)When politics comes in the window, logic goes out the door. And vice versa. Teachers are just components of a barely working system.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)ever worked for/with/under were Administrators.
Don't even get me started on their ideas for In-Service days. #hatestephencovey
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)With apologies to the good and decent administrators here on DU, most of the ones I have known have been unbelievably inept, vengeful, uncompromising, out-of-touch, and two-faced as hell.
I taught for nearly 40 years, including subbing. I worked in a variety of districts, rich and poor, urban, suburban and rural. I can count on one hand the administrators I respected in all that time. In twenty years at my most recent position, I have seen about 15 come and go. Like "bad" priests, they just keep shuffling them to other districts, or they take early retirements with comfortable life-long benefits.
Inservice days are a waste of taxpayers' money, IMO. Our district had 10 per year, thus extending the school year two weeks.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)I knew a teacher who became a principal and then was fired. FIRED, but is now teaching in a college---in its Ed Dept!
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)One of my former principals was let go based on "seniority" during cutbacks (she managed to piss off just about everyone.) I actually kind of liked her but she didn't get along with some on the board, I guess. There were also some hot rumors that she was having an affair with the Superintendent who was actually fired. She is now supervising student teachers. LOL He went on to become a superintendent in two more districts.
Smarmie Doofus
(14,498 posts)... the more anxious you are to get out of the classroom.
And the only way out is.... UP.
Result: the least qualified people, the least INVESTED people make ed policy.
That's ONE big factor.
The other: the chance to wield power over other adults. That is an INCREDIBLY enticing prospect to certain personality types.
And , of course, theres the $$$.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)meathead
(63 posts)First, my sister and six other relatives are all teachers.
As for blame, I believe educators and parents share the burden. Educators have such an aversion to conflict they wont discipline students. Many educators display no love of learning themselves either. Many are educators simply because they could not or would not attempt a more difficult course of study. Parents are often under involved. Often entirely too permissive of poor behavior in their children. I make no excuses for parents who abdicate their parental duty.
My own opinion is that the requirements to enter teachers colleges are entirely too low. At most universities the Education program has the lowest entry and exit requirements on campus. As long as this remains the case there will be no shortage of mediocrity in the teacher ranks.
Where I see successful schools, the parents and teachers are an integrated community. Unfortunately this seems to be most common in affluent areas, with involved parents.
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)There, I fixed it for you.
Most of the students I sent to the office last year came back even worse after a little "man to man" talk with one of the admins.
A year of steady sexual harassment when you have no recourse doesn't make you conflict averse, but it sure saps your morale.
meathead
(63 posts)I thought about teaching when my job was sent off-shore a decade ago. I wouldn't be able to handle the crap teachers have to put up with today. I was raised in a different era.
You are correct, why should a teacher go out on a limb their principle wouldn't? I definitely see teachers being squeezed in a vice between the administration and parents.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)where "faith" in mythological, supernatural nonsense based on no evidence is venerated and fact-based science and reason are bashed by millions of the willfully ignorant.
Avalux
(35,015 posts)Because of this, the pot stirrers keep us in an endless loop of blame, hate, and suffering.
It's really a problem with humans no matter what country.
leftstreet
(36,117 posts)Very good article, thanks for posting
DURec
Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)The right, especially RW radio, has managed to saturate the discourse over the years to the extent that even somewhat apolitical types have been spweing the talking points about "teacher's unions".