Just three months into 2012, as the Republican primary season continues, the tenor of the political conversation around contraception and other "women's" issues has grown increasingly alarming (to those of us firmly grounded in the 21st Century, anyway). Though there is a long historical tradition of projecting social anxieties onto women's (especially 'bad' women) behavior, it's still jarring for those of us who've grown up hearing about, thinking about and believing in our equality to be reminded of how tenuous our freedoms really are.
But for those of us who work in education, these gendered frustrations haven't just resurfaced because of primary season. Our field has been under bipartisan attack for a while now, as our feminized profession (76% female) has joined the ranks of all the other "bad" women throughout history who've been accused of threatening society's well-being.
To those with a mind for history, none of this is news. They already recognize the predominantly female teaching profession among the latest in a long tradition of projecting community/societal anxieties onto "bad" women -- from "witches" to bad mothers to feminists and beyond -- of all kinds. But given how much of the field has been placed under political control, in this election season it seems important to offer a reminder (and perhaps plead for a bit of solidarity as well).
To recap a few years' worth of disinformation: Teachers, you may have heard, will determine the social and (especially) economic future of our entire nation. And because we have sooo many of these bad, lazy (read: unionized) teachers, our students have performed miserably compared to those in other countries, struggled with a persistent racial "achievement" gap and more, threatening the very future of America. All this they've done while enjoying lavish pay, benefits and pensions that have bankrupted our budgets.
(Finding out that they were "haves" instead of "have-nots" was news to a lot of teachers, many of whom drive aging cars, rent instead of owning homes because they're priced out of their local housing market, moonlight, and clip coupons in order to provide for their families AND stock their own classrooms.)
In reality, teachers are subject to far greater outside interference than members of other professions, simultaneously shouldering more responsibility while exercising less control over their work. Unlike other fields, which govern and monitor themselves, there is an assumption that teachers cannot be self-determining. (Sound familiar, ladies?) Instead, politicians and business leaders (notably, two traditionally masculine spheres) demand to control how teachers work, imposing their uninformed opinions on everything from curriculum decisions to teacher evaluation. Indeed, as I write this, there are even bills under consideration that attempt to limit teachers' free speech rights while they are on and off duty.
Just as with the 'ideal' woman in a broader sense, there is much praise lavished on the 'ideal' teacher, who quietly, unobtrusively and selflessly does her work. But when teachers try to have a voice in the decisions that affect them, or advocate for better pay and working conditions, they're derided as being selfish. (Teachers, after all should be there for the kids, not their own selfish desires like three meals a day or a decent place to live! Don't they know that low teacher pay is mandated by God?) The call to "put students first" ignores the fact that teachers' working conditions are students learning conditions, and reminds those in the field that there are livelihood-destroying consequences for not knowing their proper place. And sadly, this is one of those instances where, all too often, the worst of this role enforcement is carried out by some of our own, teachers who buy into the self-sacrificing rhetoric to their own -- and their colleagues' -- detriment.)
(These calls to "put students first" are especially ironic in this situation, since many teachers are also parents themselves. For teachers who are both teachers and mothers, there exists an especially cruel double-bind: the demand to put children first in their working lives, despite the fact that this directive comes into direct conflict with the broader societal call for them to do everything they can for their own children.)
As with the other political sideshows we've seen recently, this, too, serves as a distraction from the bigger issues preventing kids from reaching their potential: rising poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, and all of the physical, social and emotional ills that come with widespread economic strife. (It's probably no coincidence that the very people who could do the most to alleviate these conditions are turning their attention on teachers and other public employees instead.)
Fellow voters, as the rest of this election year unfolds, and politicians of all stripes pile on to teachers, please keep a few things in mind when education enters the conversation:
A commissioned report on education reform that's drafted without a single classroom teacher or principal is functionally no different than a Congressional hearing on birth control convened without a single female committee member. (You should be deeply suspicious of both.)
The kind of perfect madness that drives mothers down the road of anxiety and undue stress, is related to the madness that drives nearly half of all teachers to leave their profession within their first five years. (One should also ask what that does to children, to be surrounded by adults' stress at home and at school.)
And leaders whose best plan to deal with our struggling economy and social problems is to blame and punish the latest group of 'bad' women, tend to preside over societies that aren't all that free (or prosperous) for anyone else, either.
Follow Sabrina Stevens Shupe on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TeacherSabrina
To the few who left words denigrating teachers, I ask this:
Having taught and worked in so-called "failing" schools and communities, the *overwhelming* majority of educators I've encountered have been hardworking, dedicated and smart people. (Same goes for their students, and many of the parents and community members surrounding these schools, but I digress.) How are you so sure you know what you need to know in order to make an informed opinion? From where did you get that information, un-cited and un-verified, that you feel is accurate enough to commit to print and share?
My guess is you've gotten it from a few bad apples you may have encountered in real life, and the rest from media stereotypes, as there is little reputable data upon which a reasonable person could base such assumptions. I invite you to do a little bit of critical thinking, and also to have more respect for your fellow citizens.
How can you say the personal experiences of the people who have encountered bad teachers are not valid sources of information? You should have more respect for the point of view of your fellow citizens. If you or your child had spent a school year with a teacher who has not mastered his or her subject matter, or a teacher who does not have good judgment, or a teacher who does not even try to do a good job, or a teacher who does not try to stop bullying, or a teacher who is verbally abusive to students, or a teacher who is physically abusive to students, or or a teacher who is sexually abusive to students, then you would have a bad opinion of the teaching profession for failing to eliminate those teachers from the teaching profession. A school year is a long time for a child, and a school year with a bad teacher seems like an eternity. Why don't you try to see the situation from a different point of view?
The first step to improving the reputation of teachers is getting rid of the bad teachers who are ruining the reputation of teachers.
LAUSD broke laws to unload Berndt and Hernandez who weren't reported to CTC for suspension so credentials were leverage in obtaining resignations that spares LAUSD expenses and liability. Because of offenders are hired elsewhere, children are abused as result of its incompetence & criminal indifference.
Instead of facing consequences, Deasy exploits scandal to justify war upon innocent teachers. He brags 800 fired so far& is eager to fire LA teachers. Many outstanding educators w/years of selfless dedication disciplined for whistleblowing, destroyed by administrative reprisals, denied due process, demonized as paid hostages in dehumanizing rubber rooms, rubber stamped out.
Seemingly there are two explanations:
1. It isn't as bad as you describe.
2. Teachers, from a skills perspective, have few options.
Please don't regurgitate the "we love children" mantra. It simply doesn't hold water.
Teachers give all sorts of excuses for their low achievement. Ultimately they are saying, as does the author, that they cannot do a good job. Well, then it is time to go.
We need to set much higher standards for teachers, especially elementary school teachers, who are responsible for a generation that is unable to make basic arithmetic calculations without a calculator. Our students are unable to do higher level math and science because they are unable to do basic arithmetic.
We need smart women and men teaching our children. Not dopes who are unable to do anything else.
The standard should be this: Teachers should be capable of being medical doctors, lawyers, engineers or scientists. Our standard now is this: Teachers are capable of being the checkout clerk at JCPenney.
We gave women opportunities in the workplace that were denied them in the past. Smart women used to become teachers. Now they become lawyers and doctors. We rarely find smart women teaching our children.
We must demand better teachers. The only way to accomplish this is to set high standards for new teachers and begin removing the current teachers and administrators.
I do agree that going into teaching is not something I would advise a young person to do right now. Don't get me wrong. I love what I do. (Middle school science!) But, it's so stressful. I'm not entirely sure why, but right now I've got myself all worked up over what's going to happen tomorrow. That tends to happen to me a lot. Tomorrow won't be any different than any other day. I'll go in to work. I'll teach my butt off. I'll get my students interested and excited. But, I'm always afraid that someone will be looking to attack somebody. And, even if that somebody who is attacked isn't me, it still upsets me. And, that, I think, is the hardest part of being a teacher. I feel like I'm constantly on egg shells. We all do.
When "putting her students first" to protect victims from a bully in the classroom, a National Board Certified Teacher fell into just the trap you describe. "Livelihood-destroying consequences" followed. First, because the bullying involved homophobic undertones, the teacher's sexual orientation became a target of innuendo and insinuation that can ruin a single woman's career in elementary education. Next, the principal joined forces with the parents of the bully, who filed a complaint against the teacher. No one helped the victims of bullying, but district officials saw to it that the teacher was involuntarily transferred, then set up to be fired at a different school.
The irony of this situation in Gilbert, Arizona is that anonymous complaints against a principal recently were sent to the school board and the newspaper. Similar "livelihood destroying consequences" are roaring at full throttle in the public realm. The message school district employees should take from the political environment is that teachers may be under attack now, but anyone can have a target painted on their back at any time. Those most dedicated to teaching are the most vulnerable to these "livelihood destroying consequences."
As a male teacher, I never thought about public perception in terms of gender roles, but I have to say that your analysis absolutely rings true.
I used to love teaching. Most of my career, I would tell people how much I loved it. But the atmosphere is now so toxic that I dream of a change. (Shoe store? Park ranger?) And the best teachers I know--teachers I steered my own son toward!--are talking retirement. They could have gone years ago, but stayed, and are now calling it quits.
How we can bring our very feminine values (without having to become a guy to do it) to the table as a way of helping to balance some of the nonsense. I do think we need voice-- but a proactive one that knows what to do next. I really do not believe most women know what to do. They are frustrated, tired of the injustice, but just do not know where to start. Maybe I am just tired of the talk myself and really want to help men and women understand the value of gender balance in making this world a better place for kids (boys and girls).
Thanks for your post. Thanks for calling attention to a huge crack in the system. Now what do we do to fix it?
The kids naturally bring the sum total of uncaring parents, abuse, addiction, abandonment, lack of self-respect, lack of self-control, lack of respect for authority and about 143 other burdens to the desk each morning.
I adopted five children from Eastern Europe. One 16 year old girl is illiterate in her native tongue....why? Because of bad teachers and/or administrators?
NO...it was because she had no support system, no one to love her, no one to help her, no one to demand better. After one year, she is more skilled in English than in her native Russian, she aced math and got a B+ in biology. It has been very hard at home with no distractions (TV, computer games, etc.) and LOTS of extra work. But it comes down to this...failing is not an acceptable option in my family and WE are going to work until WE master the material.
PS "I don't care if the teacher said you can use a calculator."
As a result, Obama has lost a significant number of the educators who supported him in 2008. Race to the Top doubled down on Bush's NCLB and in many ways is worse. Millions of tax dollars are going to edu-privatizers, data corporations and charter chains while our schools and classrooms lay off teachers and classroom sizes rise. Look at New Orleans- Duncan's model for corporate education reform- for a snapshot of RttTop consequences coming to an impoverished city near you.
Obama and Arne Duncan's latest supportive rhetoric won't be enough to get many of us to vote for him in 2012. Why? Because those of us living the disaster of Race to the Top, don't believe anything they say.
http://www.change.org/petitions/call-to-adopt-an-american-declaration-and-education-bill-of-rights