Food for Thought

I received the following in an email that was sent with the subject, "Best Email Yet."  After reading it, I couldn't get it out of my mind.  I'm not one that could be called "liberal."  Progressive? Yes, probably.  One can be conservative and progressive at the same time.  

I do support our teachers.  I know there are some poor teachers.  There always have been.  I remember the teachers I had back in the 50's and 60's who taught by reading to us from a book.  The ones who should have retired years before.  The ones who bored me to a comatose state.  The ones in whose classes I spent a lot of time drawing -- and it wasn't my art class. 

But I remember most the ones who inspired me.  A math teacher in Pittsburgh.  A Latin teacher, creative writing teacher and a World Lit teacher in Richmond.  Despite having some poor teachers, I got an excellent education.   
Because I wanted to learn and I had parents who had high expectations of me.

Today, I believe we are expecting entirely too much of our teachers. We are expecting them to do far more than teach but want to rate them on "teaching" results.  I've barely touched on this subject, but keep my thoughts in mind as you read the following:

"After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:

'Let me see if I've got this right.

'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.

'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.

'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.


'You want me to do all this, and then you tell me......

I CAN'T PRAY?"