Over breakfast last week my wife (who’s a elementary teacher preparing to return from summer vacation) observed that the teachers in her school didn’t seem to care about the children.
At the micro level, I think she nailed the problem with modern education: the Right wants highly qualified teachers, a structured curriculum, and testing, and the Left wants unionized teachers, a “social justice” curriculum, and no testing. Neither gives a rat’s a-- (Ed. Note: Michael, stop that! Uh ... OK, Daisy, OK) --behind about the children themselves.
It seems to me that the three most-sought characteristics of an excellent teacher should be, first, a genuine love of children. There is simply no substitute for caring. Second, a love of, and enthusiasm for, learning. Teaching isn’t rocket science; a PhD isn’t required. Neither is a Master’s degree, or for that matter, a Bachelor’s degree. And third, a modest ability for classroom management. It used to be called “Motherhood 101” but motherhood (and fatherhood, for that matter) is now out of fashion.
If all educators shared those three characteristics, education would not be in the state it is today.
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