“Teachers are the most important people in our society. They need far more pay, obviously, but they need more encouragement. They need more respect. They need more appreciation from all of us. And we shouldn’t do anything to hinder them or to make their job harder.”
Such is the sentiment of famed historical author David McCullough, as expressed in an interview in the Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702304432304576369421525987128-lMyQjAxMTAxMDEwODExNDgyWj.html)–some content may not be available for those who are not Wall Street Journal subscribers.
I must say, I could not agree much more with Mr. McCullough. The highest compliment that I, as a teacher, could give to any administration, is “They let me do my job. They do not hinder me or my efforts in doing what I believe to be right.”
Mr. McCullough also makes the valuable point that much of our youth’s historical illiteracy derives from parents, which is true, but he also mentions, in passing, the difficulty of having teachers who did not major in the subject which they teach. He goes on to mention that often teachers are forced to teach subjects which they are not familiar with. This lack of passion, Mr. McCullough states, is one reason for the state of our students’ poor historical knowledge.
Decidedly, students learn better from competent, passionate, knowledgeable teachers, than from confused drudges. However, under NCLB, all teachers are required to be “highly qualified” in the subject they teach before stepping foot in any classroom. Highly qualified is defined as a certain number of credit hours in a subject area, or having passed a state or national test confirming subject knowledge. So, at the very least, you have to have a certain knowledge of the subject which you teach. Yet, I must also admit that the state/national exams are ridiculously easy. Is the problem a lack of passion for subject matter on the teachers’ parts?
Doubtful. I exude such passion for my subject that my students find it incomprehensible, and I feel sure that my colleagues feel similarly. Yet, I do find it difficult to maintain in the face of my students’ abject apathy. So, am I doomed to repeat the mistakes of my students?
