First day of school
So today is the first day of the Unofficial HGSE book club. We're reading Teachers Have it Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers. (I think the new rule on non-fiction publishing is that one must have a long subtitle to follow their snappy title).
The authors highlight the Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of various teachers in the United States to demonstrate that the argument, "teachers don't have to work so much" is really a farce. (I'm practicing making interesting and convoluted statements to get ready to impress my Harvard friends. We're meeting for coffee to discuss books. Like Kanye and DuBois, I struggle withe dilemma to be a hip intellectual.)
Anyway, the stories took me back to my days teaching. And what scary ones they were, sometimes. Yes, I loved it. Was passionate for it. Found it intellectually stimulating. But suffered some of the same criticisms the bold-names do in the book: ingratiating comments from well-meaning and better paid friends: "Oh you're a teacher. That's wonderful." My mother: "I didn't pay this much money for you to be a teacher." Ex-boyfriend: "You're so smart. Why do you teach?"
The problems within teaching are self-defeating. The most important job for the economy and the spirit is one that is the most disparaged. And what are the solutions. I don't know what can be done with the choir reading the hymnal over coffee but it's a start. (This is what I plan to say, and then sip my coffee, with one eyebrow raised. The left one.).
In other news, I'm really going back to school tomorrow. First day of Conversational Spanish III at the USDA. Will definitely post more about this learning experience.
The authors highlight the Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of various teachers in the United States to demonstrate that the argument, "teachers don't have to work so much" is really a farce. (I'm practicing making interesting and convoluted statements to get ready to impress my Harvard friends. We're meeting for coffee to discuss books. Like Kanye and DuBois, I struggle withe dilemma to be a hip intellectual.)
Anyway, the stories took me back to my days teaching. And what scary ones they were, sometimes. Yes, I loved it. Was passionate for it. Found it intellectually stimulating. But suffered some of the same criticisms the bold-names do in the book: ingratiating comments from well-meaning and better paid friends: "Oh you're a teacher. That's wonderful." My mother: "I didn't pay this much money for you to be a teacher." Ex-boyfriend: "You're so smart. Why do you teach?"
The problems within teaching are self-defeating. The most important job for the economy and the spirit is one that is the most disparaged. And what are the solutions. I don't know what can be done with the choir reading the hymnal over coffee but it's a start. (This is what I plan to say, and then sip my coffee, with one eyebrow raised. The left one.).
In other news, I'm really going back to school tomorrow. First day of Conversational Spanish III at the USDA. Will definitely post more about this learning experience.
posted by Rhonda Henderson at 5:03 PM
1 Comments:
The sacrifice and value of teachers is often overlooked or simply not appreciated. It is too bad so many discounted this portion of your career. Many in my family are teachers and the rewards are almost always personal - but no less rewarding
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