As a future educator, I have pride in my profession. My chief motivation in life is knowing that every class, every test and every headache is leading me toward a very special job. After all, teachers are the ones who shape who we will become. The knowledge imparted on students is what creates doctors, lawyers, pharmacists and businessman.
However, educators and the education profession are not treated with the respect they deserve. The profession is being dragged through the mud by media, misguided students and those who enter the profession for the wrong reasons.
Educators power through low wages, parents of different variety and most annoying, constant disrespect and scrutiny from society.
Initially, I had only seen this disrespect perpetuated in media. Hollywood depicts teachers in a multitude of negative lights. For example, the movie “Bad Teacher” tells the story of a middle school teacher who uses her charm and wit to receive a bonus based on test scores.
In the realm of journalism, it seems that the only stories about educators that get attention are those involving some immoral or unethical behavior.
While writing this column, I googled the word “teacher.” The first article that appeared involved a teacher in Brooklyn who sexually abused five of his students. It gets better, people. The very next article told the story of the teacher who threatened his class with a killer robot. Not one single story shed light on the positive roles teachers play in life.
A fellow METP (a new scholarship program that grants a full scholarship to high performing students who seek to be either math or English teachers) student, Ben Logan, told us a story of how his mother, a teacher in Tupelo, Mississippi, receiving the C.R.E.A.T.E award for being an outstanding educator. Not once did I come upon a story that showed this side of teaching. These are the stories that need to be told.
The constant stories of teacher downfalls are offensive when there are so many things to celebrate.
In a similar sense, I have noticed that students have also lost respect for the teaching profession.
I recently overheard someone say that the teaching degree is the “MRS” degree. Most students know that the “MRS” degree is used to describe a major in which a woman undertakes because it’s easy and it allows her to find a husband.
This is one of the most disrespectful things I have ever heard. Personally, I do not know a single education major who’s only looking for a husband, and I have the pleasure of knowing 11.
Word of advice: stop the hate. Furthermore, you should never generalize because everyone’s story is different.
Lastly, I must address our real life “bad teachers.”
These people are the source of my former discussions. The encroachment of bad teaching candidates has caused a scarlet “A” to appear on our chest. This “A” representing for awful.
We have all had at least one teacher who didn’t care about our education or their job. This fact has caused most of the problems with the educator profession. These teachers are like parasites sucking every bit of professionalism and dignity that resides in the career field. There is one solution to this ailment: all bad teachers must go. Simple.
Education is the past, present and future. Treat it as such.
Kaypounyers Maye is a sophomore education major from Gulfport.
