A former student of mine who teaches kindergarten sent this along. It
beautifully captures the contexts and tensions of teaching.
bb
> Thought you might like this...
>
> Subject: Teachers Application
>
>
>
> 21st CENTURY TEACHER APPLICANT
>
>
> Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with
> all those kids and fill their every waking moment with a love for
> learning. Not only that, I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in
> their ethnicity, behaviorally modify disruptive behavior, observe them
> for signs of abuse and T-shirt messages.
>
> I am to fight the war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check
> their backpacks for guns and raise their self-esteem. I'm to teach them
> patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, how and where
> to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook and how to apply for a
job.
>
> I am to check their heads occasionally for lice, maintain a safe
> environment, recognize signs of potential antisocial behavior, offer
> advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and
> scholarships, encourage respect for the cultural diversity of others,
> and, oh yeah, always make sure that I give the girls in my class 50
> percent of my attention.
>
> I'm required by my contract to be working on my own time summer and
> evenings at my own expense toward advance certification and a master's
> degree; and after school, I am to attend committee and faculty meetings
> and participate in staff development training to maintain my employment
> status.
>
> I am to be a paragon of virtue larger than life, such that my very
> presence will awe my students into being obedient and respectful of
> authority. I am to pledge allegiance to supporting family values, a
> return to the basics, and to my current administration. I am to
> incorporate technology into the learning, and monitor all Web sites
> while providing a personal relationship with each student. I am to
> decide who might be potentially dangerous and/or liable to commit crimes
> in school or who is possibly being abused, and I can be sent to jail for
> not mentioning these suspicions.
>
> I am to make sure all students pass the state and federally mandated
> testing and all classes, whether or not they attend school on a regular
> basis or complete any of the work assigned. Plus, I am expected to make
> sure that all of the students with handicaps are guaranteed a free and
> equal education, regardless of their mental or physical handicap. I am
> to communicate frequently with each student's parent by letter, phone,
> newsletter and grade card.
>
> I'm to do all of this with just a piece of
> chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a 45 minute
> more-or-less plan time and a big smile, all on a starting salary that
> qualifies my family for food stamps in many states. Is that all? And you
> want me to do all of this and expect me
>
> NOT TO PRAY?
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Sep 01 2002 - 01:00:06 PDT