Beware! Slightly passionate blog, comin' at ya!
Or is it just teachers? No. I think it’s broader than that. I keep trying to put my finger on the deeper rooted issues that push people to stand against or in favor of a cause. Currently, Tennessee is experiencing change in the education system. In recent months, the change has provoked the teachers’ union. Let me be clear before you read any further, I have never been a “union person”. Whatever that means or is supposed to mean, that’s what I mean. Since this whole situation has developed, my feeling has intensified. When did the focus of education become the teachers? When did the focus of education become about how much I make as an educator? I completely disagree with the concept “what is good for the teacher, is good for the student.” What a selfish perspective by people who are supposed to be building a nation. In case any teachers slept through class the day they taught you about teaching, the focus is the students.
When did the philosophy of Americans become, “We are a democratic nation and WE elect our leaders, but if the one I wanted doesn’t win, I’m going to scream at the top of my lungs that my rights are being violated. I going to make sure that if I don’t get my way, the entire process is a living hell for everyone else. My “convictions” aren’t my focus any longer; my focus is now to make sure that whatever you stand for, I oppose it because you stand for it. On top of that, I will go to every person I know and tell them how they are being mistreated by the current leadership. Let me define mistreatment. It means you don’t get your way.
That is exactly the OPPOSITE way of thinking I beg my students to adopt every day. I preach about not feeling entitled to everything I see just because someone else has it or I simply want it. Why is it justified by teachers to say one thing in the classroom, but when it really comes down to it, be just as selfish as the students. Excuses are easy. I’m starting to have difficulty deciphering between my students excuses and some of my colleagues. My students think they are mistreated all the time. I know they are not mistreated, but they are young and just don’t have the perspective they need. They don’t appreciate education, and I am happy to provide that perspective when needed. What’s your excuse for your lack of perspective?
We were not coerced into teaching. We chose it. Could you imagine a nurse going through years of schooling, passing their board certification, going to work in a hospital and then starting a petition to get rid of blood in the operating room? How obscured!
Respectfully, if you don’t like teaching, go do something else. Walmart is always hiring.
