Ten common myths about teaching

[proud2BlibKansan]

It seems everyone has an opinion about teachers and their profession these days … and most of them aren’t teachers.

Perhaps it would be a different matter if the conceptions of teaching were like those of NASA engineers: smart, genius! Or maybe like those of firefighters: brave, self-sacrificing! However, in our nation’s current climate, saying the word “teacher” is like Forrest Gump opening a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get, as teachers too often are seen as a convenient scapegoat for the perceived problems that are plaguing public education.

eSchool News recently asked readers: “If you could clear up one misconception about teachers and/or teaching, what would it be?” Our goal was not only to help others understand these misconceptions, but also to learn how teachers feel they are perceived by others.

Here are 10 misconceptions about teachers and teaching that emerged from readers (responses edited for brevity):

more . . . http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/08/05/ten-common-myths-about-teaching/?

[canoeist52]

1. “Contrary to popular belief, we do not have summers off..."

“Contrary to popular belief, we do not have summers off. We spend them doing professional development and planning for the coming year—even more so if you are changing grade level or subject for the coming year. Also, we don’t stop working when that last bell rings—often we spend our evenings and weekends grading papers, planning lessons, and responding to parent eMails and phone calls.” —Susan J. Walton, computer teacher and technology coordinator, Academy of St. Adalbert, Ohio

[Creideiki]

11. For the 2 years I taught in the classroom I averaged 60-80 hours per week

It was exhausting.

[fishwax]

2. k/r

:kick:

[Zoigal]

3. Many think we get paid year around..When i taught we had a contract of

around 170+ days and that's what we were paid for.
Often teachers choose to divide the sum up into twelve
payments instead of nine or ten. If we taught summer school,
we were paid extra for that......z

[patrice]

4. All you need is the answer book. nt

[Rex]

5. 3pm!?! Who got out of school at 3pm!?!

At my last job, most students (that were involved in after school activities) and teachers didn't leave work until around 5 or 6pm!

Teaching is one of the hardest professions imo.

[bluestateguy]

6. We need to get the government out of our public schools

I know.

If they can say "keep the government out of my Medicare", then I can say that.

[Fearless]

9. You're right...

Government needs to get out of education. It wasn't always part of education either. Education was originally a locally funded and influenced system. Now, in exchange for state and federal funding, school districts have surrendered autonomy to the detriment of their students.

Can the federal government help schools? Yes. Have they? Almost exclusively no.

[bluestateguy]

10. This is the thing

When we on the left clamor for more federal government funding for education, we fail to recognize that that money will come with all kinds of strings attached: new mandates about test scores, teacher evaluation, building codes, abstinence only sex education and even rules requiring high schools to turn over lists of all high school seniors to the military.

Except for bank bailouts, the government will not fund anything without cumbersome new mandates attached to the money.

Conservatives made this argument many decades ago, and they may have had a point. Now many conservatives want to use federal funding of education to achieve conservative objectives.

[Fearless]

12. That is one of perhaps two major issues with funding...

The second being that local funding comes from property tax and thus gives an unequal education to those in poor areas as they do to the wealthy.

What we need is funding from a state or federal pool that is evenly distributed to all schools based on a per student basis. Additionally there needs to be a baseline in funding or at least precautions set up making sure that in smaller schools, the same quality education is available.

Of course the wealthy won't let this happen. And the Republicans will call it socialism or something.

What a world we live in.

:crazy:

[DrDan]

7. as a former teacher, can't argue with any one of them

[mcar]

8. Thanks for this

My teacher spouse is still in his classroom (yes, on Saturday at 6 p.m.), having arrived at 9 this morning. He'll be there all day tomorrow too, to get ready for the start of school on Monday.

He worked all summer preparing for new classes he'll be teaching and planning service activities for his high schoolers.

The disrespect shown to teachers is appalling to me as I watch this good man work himself to a frazzle every year for the sake of his students. Oh, and he hasn't had a raise in several years and, in fact, has just had a salary cut because, here in Flori-duh, having a master's degree no longer means anything. Health insurance costs have steadily risen over the years as well.

And yet, wherever we go in our small county, we always run into one of his former students. No matter what they are now doing, whether they've finished college or never went, they always tell him that he was their best math teacher. No, that's not compensation enough, as some will say. But it helps, just a bit.

Here's to him and all teachers. :toast: