Yet
some people persevere. Why?
“California
needed more than 21,000 teachers to fill positions this school year because the
number of teacher candidates has declined by more than 55%, from 45,000 in 2008
to 20,000 in 2013, as reported by the California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing.
“Working
conditions and salary clearly are not selling points.
“Much
of the negative aspects of teaching stem from the lack of control teachers have
over their own profession.
“Schools
are still structured top-down as they have been for a century, with teachers
viewed more as factory workers, not master-degreed professionals who can
problem-solve without the intervention of those outside the classroom.
Teachers
know how to improve their profession, but do not have a voice in the matter,
impotent in their subservient roles. How many college students would gravitate
toward such a future career?
“It
wasn’t that long ago that the concept of site-based management was seriously
championed as a way to involve teachers in the decision-making process at a
school. But that grand idea vanished.
“So,
education bureaucrats continue to mandate so-called reforms such as Common Core
standards and standardized testing that teachers are expected to deliver with
little input….
“Let’s
face it. We all hope that selfless people join the military to protect our
country. We all hope that decent people become firefighters and police officers
to protect our society. And we all hope that quality people join the teaching
ranks to mold our future commodity — children.
“But
hoping will only get so far. If schools expect a line outside human resources
of people applying for jobs, then a major overhaul of the teaching profession
has to happen. And it will take teachers themselves to blast the clarion call
since those in the upper echelon of education show no interest in changing the
status quo.
Is there any chance of that happening in our lifetime?
“One
can only hope.”
